Odisha Revenue Collections Drop In Q1 On COVID-19 Impact

Bhubaneswar: Revenue collections in the state have come down by 23 per cent in the first quarter (April-June) of the 2020-21 financial year compared to the corresponding period last year.

The state’s total revenue collection upto June was Rs 8,204 crore compared to the last year’s Rs 10,645 crore, said Principal Secretary of Finance department Ashok Meena at an all-secretary meeting on Thursday.

Presenting the fiscal performance of the state upto June, 20202 Meena assigned the dip in the collection to over 35 per cent (pc) drop in the collection of state’s own taxes and revenues such as excise, Value Added Tax (VAT), Goods and Services Tax (GST), stamp duties and registration for fall in economic activities caused by the lockdown restrictions imposed in the wake of COVID-19 since March-end.

On the brighter side, non-tax revenue collections propelled by the mining royalty went up by around 3 pc between April and June. The total non-tax revenue, which was Rs 3,506 crore between April and June last year, increased to Rs 3,609 crore during the same period this year.

It was revealed at the meeting that programme expenditure of all departments have also gone down during the first quarter. It came down by 5.06 pc Rs 8,923 crore against Rs 9,399 crore in the last fiscal.

But the expenditure in social sectors including health and family welfare programmes was around Rs 5,281 crore against the last year’s Rs 42,25 crore.

Similarly, the expenditure in other sectors including food security programmes was around Rs 1,607 crore against the last year’s Rs 305 crore.