ANDHRA PRADESH REVENUES UP 13%

The Andhra Pradesh government posted a jump of 13.86 per cent in its revenue at Rs 12,881 crore in the first two quarters of the current fiscal, bringing in some respite to the government that has been lamenting over lack of resources due to bifurcation this year. The hike was registered against revenue Rs 11,313 crore of last fiscal's first half when the state was undivided. Officials of the revenue and other income-generating departments at a review meeting with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here today, attributed the rise to surge in consumption of home needs and petro products, which accounted for to 20 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, an official statement said. Value-added tax and Central sales tax component also recorded a 4 per cent growth compared to the first half of last fiscal. Income from commercial taxes in the first quarter of 2014-15 was Rs 6,207.41 crore, up 5.96 per cent, while in the second quarter, it saw a significant rise to Rs 6,673.83 crore, a 22.35 per cent jump over the Q2 of last fiscal, it said. The chief minister during the meeting asked officials of the Revenue Department to explore the possibility of setting up an Economic Intelligence Unit, on lines of the one in Maharashtra, to use advances in digital technologies to store and interpret data collected by sales tax department. Meanwhile, Naidu also directed officials of the Mining Department to commission a survey to assess the availability of coal reserves in the Chintalapudi area of West Godavari district by engaging consultants. He sought a detailed report in six months on the same. The issue would be taken up with the Centre for coal extraction based on the consultant's report and use the coal for power generation in the state. Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Chief Secretary I Y R Krishna Rao and other officials attended the meeting.