Punjab Assembly today gave its nod to fix the maximum retail price of liquor in the state as Punjab Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2014, was passed in this regard on the last day of 14th Vidhan Sabha session here.
It has generally been observed that sometimes, after a draw of lots, the licensees join hands to form cartels to maximise their profits by charging exorbitant prices from consumers. Therefore, it was necessary to fix the maximum retail prices of liquor, as per the objects of the bill.
In the absence of opposition, Punjab Assembly also passed six other bills including Punjab Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill 2014, Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Fund (Amendment) Bill 2014, Punjab Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2014, Punjab Right to Service (Amendment) Bill, 2014, Punjab Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2014 and Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
Meanwhile, four bills including Punjab Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2014, Punjab Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2014, Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Educational Institutions Bill, 2014 and Punjab Technical University (Amendment) Bill, 2014 were withdrawan for bringing "certain amendments" by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Mohan Mittal.
The House was adjourned sine die before brief debate by treasury benches on the bills.
