Punjab Cabinet imposes 90 paise per litre cess on petrol and diesel, gives green signal to industrial policy

Chandigarh: The Punjab government took major decisions in the cabinet meeting held today. The Punjab Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has imposed a cess of 90 paise per litre on petrol and diesel. This is the first tax levied on the public by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government after coming to power. The Cabinet has also approved the industrial policy being awaited during the meeting held today.

The approval of the policy assumes significance in view of the proposed investor summit by the state government for February 23-24.
The state government is trying to attract industrial investment of Rs 5 lakh crore by implementing this policy. To woo investors, the policy is highlighting lower power rates for industrial consumers. Apart from this, the Cabinet has approved open mining at 18 locations in the state.
People can take a tractor trolley and extract sand at the rate of Rs 5.50 per cubic foot. The electric vehicle policy has also been approved, which will lay the foundation for setting up charging stations for such vehicles and incentivising those purchasing these vehicles with a rebate of up to 15 per cent on road tax.