Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh introduces cow cess on sale of liquor; imposes Rs 10 per bottle

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh has introduced a cow cess for those purchasing alcohol in the state budget. It has been decided to collect Rs 10 per bottle as cow cess. It is estimated that Rs 100 crore income can be generated in this way. Himachal Pradesh government has presented the new budget on Friday.

Himachal Pradesh is not the first state to introduce cess to protect stray cows. Rajasthan government has received Rs 2,176 crore from cow cess in the last three years. Punjab collects Rs 10 per bottle as cess from Indian-made foreign liquor.

Congress government in Himachal has also introduced many popular announcements in the state budget. Employees' pension scheme will be converted to old method. Use of electric vehicles will be encouraged to reduce pollution. Himachal Road Transport Corporation will replace 1,500 diesel buses with electric buses at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore in a phased manner for this. It has also been announced that 20,000 girls will be given a subsidy of Rs 25,000 to purchase electric two-wheelers.