AP CM stresses on using tech to increase revenue

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday directed the officials to pay special attention towards introducing state-of-the-art technology in policy implementation in revenue generating departments to improve efficiency and render improvised services in full transparency to the tax-payers.

At a review meeting on revenue generating departments held at Tadepalli, he said modern technology will help reduce human involvement in the implementation of policies and asked the officials to conduct a study on using technology and submit a detailed report in the next review.

Implementation of appropriate policies would help plug leakages and extend improvised services to the tax payers besides enhancing the revenue, he said and directed them to pay special attention towards the subject.

All departments should improve their functioning by the next review, he said. He stressed the need to display prominently the contact phone numbers of responsible officials at all Mandal, Town Planning, Stamps and Registrations offices and Village and Ward Secretariats for extending all civic services to the people in transparency.

Reddy said the ACB (Anti Corruption Bureau) officials also should be active promptly responding to complaints from the tax payers, he suggested.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to take special steps to curb the use and distribution of drugs among the youth by displaying awareness hoardings with toll free numbers at Universities and Colleges. Special programmes including mock-drills for preventing drugs abuse should be implemented at least twice in a month, he told the officials.

Explaining that the State is better placed than Karnataka and Maharashtra in tax collection showing a growth of 25.29 per cent, officials told the Chief Minister that it has achieved the target up to 93.24 per cent by collecting total taxes of Rs 51,481crore in the last fiscal while fixing the target at Rs 60,191crore for 2023-24.