The Madhya Pradesh governmentwill set up exclusive outlets of foreign liquor brands in upmarket areas of the state's major cities, a senior official said on Thursday.Outlets of imported foreign liquor also called bottled in origin (BIO) will be set up under the government's new liquor policy, state excise commissioner Rajesh Bahuguna said."Under the new liquor policy, limited number of outlets selling high-end premium liquor, formulated and bottled abroad, would be allowed to open in some big cities. These products are called BIO," Bahuguna said.The state government does not charge excise duty on such liquor brands, he added.Although liquor of foreign brands can be sold in other shops, these new outlets will exclusively sell BIO products, the senior official said.Most liquor brands available in the state's market at present are bottled in India, he said.According to sources, these outlets would be opened in upmarket areas of Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior.In its liquor policy for 2020-21, the government plans to introduce the barcodes on alcohol bottles to track their supply from the factory to warehouses or depots and further to contractors.
