Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday inaugurated the new building of the Income Tax Department in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow.
Speaking on the occasion, the Finance Minister informed that the number of tax-payers in the easter Uttar Pradesh has increased.
"The Income Tax returns that have been filed from Eastern Uttar Pradesh mounts to 21.83 lakh, and has increased a lot in the last one year. This number was lesser than 4 lakh in 2016. This change has come under the Yogi Adityanath government. The developmental works have gained pace due to the collection of more direct taxes, said Sitharaman during her address.
The minister further said that free vaccinations and treatment in the state was also possible because more number of people paid taxes.
"Free treatment and vaccination were done during the COVID time. It is the first state in the country to vaccinate more than 9 crore people. It is also the first state to conduct 2.75 lakh COVID-19 tests daily. All this was also possible because the people of the state paid tax. The number of tax-payers in the state has increased," she said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the event.
During his address, Adityanath said that the state has set a model for better law and order situation in the country.
"There was no investment in Uttar Pradesh earlier. People were afraid because they were concerned about their own safety as well as the safety of their investments. Uttar Pradesh set the model for better law and order situation. The state has connected itself with all the reforms that the central government has laid out for different states. Today, the state stands at number two in the Ease of Doing Business list which earlier, the state stood at number 14 in 2015-16," said the Chief Minister.
"The investment has surged in the state, we have already got the proposal of the investment in the defence corridor worth Rs 50,000 crore. The inauguration of the new building of the Income Tax Department will be helpful to all. This new building is a green building," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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