Chandigarh, Feb 4 : Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Sunday announced that from March 1, country-made liquor would not be sold in plastic bottles.

This move makes Haryana the first state in the country to impose a ban on the use of plastic.

Chautala, who also holds the portfolio of Excise and Taxation, told the media here that with a 30 per cent increase in GST collection over the past four years, the government achieved 16 per cent growth this fiscal with the collection of Rs 32,456 crore as tax.

Despite initially setting a target of Rs 36,000 crore for GST collection, Chautala expressed confidence in meeting the target in time.

He said in 2019-2020, the state government had received Rs 6,361 crore in excise duty tax.

In 2023 until July, the excise tax collection reached Rs 9,687 crore and as of January 28, 2024, it has already reached Rs 9,232 crore. He said although the target for this excise year was Rs. 10,500 crore, but he "is hopeful that by the completion of the excise year the government will receive tax of Rs 11,500 crore, much more than the target".

/IANS