Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday referred to Punjab’s record GST collection for April and said governments had for decades claimed there was “no money” as an excuse for inaction.
Punjab recorded its highest-ever monthly GST collection of Rs 2,987.38 crore in April, according to figures shared by the state government.
“For decades, governments kept saying ‘paise nahi hain’ as an excuse for inaction. Today, Punjab proves the truth — it was never about money, it was about intent. With honest governance, there has been a record growth in revenue and that money is now being used to serve the people of Punjab. That’s the AAP model,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
He said the rise in revenue reflected improved collections and added that the funds are being used for public services, welfare and infrastructure.
Kejriwal also shared a post by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who released comparative GST data for states.
Cheema said Punjab recorded a 66 per cent increase in the GST collections in April 2026, describing it as the highest in the state’s history. He said collections rose from Rs 1,795 crore in April last year to Rs 2,987 crore this year, citing Government of India data.
“This establishes us as the highest-growing state in the country, significantly outperforming the all-India growth average and leading all north Indian states,” Cheema said.
At the national level, GST collections stood at Rs 2.43 lakh crore in April, compared to Rs 2.23 lakh crore in April 2025, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.7 per cent.