Jharkhand govt to sell liquor to boost revenue, says Official

The Jharkhand government plans to enter the liquor retail sale business in order to push revenue collection, an official said on Thursday.

Official sources, who are privy to the development, said Chief Minister Raghubar Das, who handles the excise portfolio, has already given his consent to a proposal by the department in this regard.

The sources also said that the plan would be implemented once the cabinet approves it.

The proposal was earlier discussed at a cabinet meeting on February 7, when four cabinet ministers opposed the idea of the government selling liquor.

In fact, they demanded a ban to be imposed on the sale of liquor in the state.

Since the creation of Jharkhand, several changes were made in its excise policy to increase revenue.

During the FY17 till January, the government managed to collect Rs 796 crore as against the original excise revenue target of Rs 1,500 crore for the entire financial year.