Hyderabad: The Minister for Tourism and Excise, Jupally Krishna Rao, stated that the government is working to increase revenue from tourism. However, he clarified that while the government has continued the policies of the previous administration, it has not taken any new steps to raise revenue through the Excise department.
Speaking during a debate on the State budget in the Assembly, the Minister highlighted that the Congress government has improved transparency compared to the previous administration. He explained that there is now stricter monitoring of activities like liquor manufacturing. He also emphasized that the government has no plans to change the excise policy to generate more revenue.
On the other hand, Jupally expressed confidence that the tourism sector could contribute at least 10% of the State’s total revenue. As part of this effort, he mentioned that events like Miss World are being hosted in Hyderabad. He reassured that only a small amount of funds have been allocated for the event and that it would help the State gain international recognition.
However, former Minister K T Rama Rao criticized this decision. He accused the Congress government of having “double standards” by supporting the Miss World event while previously criticizing the Formula-E international sports event. He questioned how an event like Miss World, which he claimed has lost its global importance, would help Telangana attract investments.
