LUCKNOW, Uttar Pradesh: The Urban Development Department of Uttar Pradesh celebrated a major achievement as 17 municipal corporations in the state reported a 33 per cent increase in revenue collection.
In the financial year 2023-24, the total revenue collected was ₹31.02 billion, which is significantly higher than the ₹23.40 billion collected in the previous year.
It was noted that Lucknow and Kanpur experienced a notable increase in tax collection, largely attributed to the adoption of technology-driven solutions for tax retrieval from the urban populace.
Lucknow Municipal Corporation, including the Jal Kal department, reported the highest revenue increase, rising from ₹6.87 billion in the previous year to ₹9.04 billion, while Kanpur saw its revenue climb from ₹3.98 billion to ₹5.34 billion.
Municipal bodies governing Moradabad, Firozabad, and Mathura witnessed an approximate 70 per cent rise in annual revenue compared to the preceding financial year.
Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, commented that a cumulative framework, GIS-based database, and exploration of new avenues were the primary areas of focus assigned to municipal commissioners to enhance revenue collection.
In a first for the state, incentive-based schemes were introduced, motivating officials leading urban local bodies to perform better. Lucknow and Kanpur led in overall revenue collection, followed by Ghaziabad (₹3.50 billion), Prayagraj (₹2.53 billion), Agra (₹2.15 billion), Varanasi (₹1.66 billion), Meerut (₹1.21 billion), Moradabad (₹940 million), Aligarh and Bareilly (both ₹840 million), Gorakhpur (₹690 million), Saharanpur (₹510 million), Jhansi (₹470 million), Mathura (₹420 million), Ayodhya (₹360 million), Firozabad (₹310 million), and Shahjahanpur (₹210 million).