Since FY21, the annual sales of spirits in India have surpassed the combined consumption of prominent European markets such as the UK, France, and Spain
"We will reduce prices of commodities," may be the standard refrain of every political party fighting an election. However, in Andhra Pradesh, opposition TDP is wooing the avid booze lover with the promise of better quality spirit at reduced prices, if voted to power. Simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are scheduled in the southern state on May 13. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) the main opposition, is also accusing the YSRCP Government of setting excessively high prices that do not align with the quality of the liquor. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu consistently emphasizes, among others, the issue during his campaign, alleging that the state has been supplying poor quality liquor while profiting immensely from 'inflated' prices, running to thousands of crores of rupees. According to reports, the state government netted nearly Rs 24,000 crore through excise revenue in 2022-23 against over Rs 17,000 crore in 2019-20. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP was voted to power in ...
All liquor, toddy, arrack shops and also clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor will remain closed for three days from April 17 in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions in view of Lok Sabha polls slated to be held on April 19 in the union territory. A notification of the Puducherry State Gazette said that the Lieutenant Governor has issued an order directing closure of the shops, clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor to ensure "fair and peaceful polls in the Union Territory". The notification also said that all these shops and restaurants, bars and clubs would also remain closed on June 4 on account of counting of the votes. Another notification from the government said that as Kerala goes to the polls on April 26, all liquor, toddy and arrack shops and also clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor would remain closed in Mahe region from April 24 to 26 to ensure fair peaceful polls and on June 4, the day of counting of votes. Mahe is an enclave of Puducherry in ..
BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur has accused her party legislator Sudesh Rai was running a liquor shop illegally in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district and expressed concern over the safety of women and girls. She has also demanded Rai's removal from the MLA's post. When contacted, Rai told the mediapersons to themselves inquire into Thakur's allegations. Thakur, who has been denied renomination from Bhopal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, on Monday night said she was on a visit to areas under her constituency to launch development works when some girls came to her at Khajuria Kala and complained a liquor outlet was being run in front of their school. "The girls were sad and teary-eyed, they complained that people gather at the liquor shop, make comments on them. They told me they are not safe and anything can happen to them. Some women said people enter their houses after consuming liquor," the BJP leader added. She claimed a police sub-inspector who was present th
The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday approved the state's new excise policy setting a revenue target of Rs 4,440 crore for 2024-25. The target for the next fiscal set by the cabinet is 11 per cent more than that of the current financial year (2023-24) which stood at Rs 4000 crore. The decision to approve the new excise policy was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi told reporters. The new excise policy will boost the state's revenue by high quality, aromatic liquor production using the Himalayan state's rich herbal and floral wealth, the fruits grown here and its multiple water resources, she said. It will also enhance the income of farmers in the state, the chief secretary said. It makes provision for a micro distillation unit in the hills to promote innovation and investment in the field in hilly areas, she said. The new policy makes provisions for the first time for the bottling of foreign liqu
Tasmac said the price of 180 ml of regular and medium-quality liquor will be raised by Rs 10. For 180 ml of high-quality liquor, there is a price increase of Rs 20
Sanjay Singh is one of the key conspirators in the Delhi Liquor Scam. Sanjay Singh is closely associated with number of accused/suspects in this case
Ahead of the Ram mandir consecration ceremony, governments of several states have prohibited the sale of liquor. Check out the full list here
All liquor shops in Noida and Greater Noida will remain closed on January 22, according to an order issued by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration. The order, which also applies to military and paramilitary canteens, has been issued in view of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had, on January 9, called for a closure of all liquor outlets in the state for the temple consecration ceremony, which he had described as a "national festival". "In view of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, all country liquor, foreign liquor, beer, cannabis retail shops, premium retail vendors and model shops or bars in the city, military and paramilitary canteens, wholesale licensees and other excise licensees located in the district will remain closed on January 22," Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Maneesh Kumar Verma said. "The sale of all intoxicants (including bhang) will be completely closed on the sai
The top Indian brands, which contributed to this milestone, included Amrut, Paul John, Radico Khaitan's Rampur, Indri, among others
Delhi recorded sales of 24 lakh liquor bottles on New Year's Eve, registering a nearly 18 per cent on-year growth from the corresponding date in 2022. According to official Excise department data, 3,99,60,509 (3.99 crore) liquor bottles were sold in December 2022 through a network of 520 shops. In December 2023, 4,97,80,240 (4.97 crore) bottles were sold from 635 vends. According to the data, 24,00,726 (24 lakh) liquor bottles were sold on New Year's Eve (December 31) -- the highest single-day sales during December 2023. December 31, 2022, witnessed sales of 20,30,664 (20.30 lakh) bottles -- also the highest single-day sales figure for that month. The second highest sales in December 2023 were recorded on Christmas Eve (December 24) when 19,42,717 (19.42 lakh) bottles were sold. On the same day in 2022, the data showed that 14,69,357 (14.69 lakh) bottles were sold. The data also showed that 17,79,379 (17.79 lakh) liquor bottles were sold on December 30, 2023, against 14,66,353 (1
The sale of liquor in Delhi recorded a 14 per cent on-year growth in December, with 4.56 crore bottles sold in the national capital during the month. According to official Excise department data, 3,99,60,509 (3.99 crore) bottles of liquor were sold in December 2022 through a network of 520 shops. This year, 4,56,00,135 (4.56 crore) bottles have been sold till December 29 from 635 vends. Department officials said with two more days to go, a significant surge in sales owing to New Year's celebrations is expected. According to the data, 19,42,717 (19.42 lakh) bottles were sold on December 24 -- the highest single-day sales during the month this year. On the same day last year, 14,69,357 (14.69 lakh) bottles were sold. December 31, 2002, however, witnessed a record sale of 20,30,664 (20.30 lakh) bottles -- the highest single-day sales figure for that month. The Excise department has also intensified enforcement to check illegal sale of liquor during the festival season. The departm
From installing big-screen TVs to serving special drinks, pubs and restaurants in Delhi-NCR are pulling out all stops to cash in on the World Cup final frenzy. With India facing Australia in the final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Sunday, the establishments have made preparations for their patrons to cheer for their favourite cricketers with a glass of tipple. Team India breezed through to the final with a victory over New Zealand, having won all 10 matches in the tournament so far. The summit clash pits the Men in Blue against record champions Australia in a repeat of the 2003 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. A representative from Yes Minister - Pub and Kitchen, Adchini, told PTI, "We are levying Rs 3,000 as cover charge since it is a big match. On normal days, we do not charge patrons but we have kept this rate for big matches." The Beer Cafe has special offers for those who come wearing the Men in Blue's jersey. "With Team India in the final, we are geared up
Sixty-four lakh liquor bottles worth about Rs 121 crore were bought by people in Delhi in just three days running up to Diwali on Sunday, officials said. According to official data, the week before Diwali saw a sale of over one crore of liquor bottles fetching Rs 234.15 crore to the government, they said. "The sale of liquor picks up during festivals like Holi and Diwali in Delhi as it is not only bought for personal consumption and stocking but also for giving as gifts," a senior excise department official said. According to official figures the total sale in the 17 days before Diwali was over three crore bottles, bringing in a revenue of Rs 525.84 crore. The sale of liquor picked up just ahead of Diwali with stores selling 17.33 lakh, 18.89 lakh and 27.89 lakh bottles on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively. The shops were closed on Diwali that was a dry day, officials said. This combined sale of over 64 lakh bottles in three days earned a total of Rs 120.92 crore. Last
The Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India) - HRAWI, on Wednesday urged the Maharashtra government to roll back the 5 per cent increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) on liquor served at bars and restaurants across the state. On October 22, the Maharashtra government raised VAT for permit room liquor service by 5 per cent, resulting in a new total rate of 10 per cent, according to the state government notification. HRAWI in a representation submitted to the chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar, and tourism minister Girish Mahajan requested the rollback of the 5 per cent increase in VAT on liquor served at bars and restaurants across the state. Expressing concern and surprise at the unexpected increase in VAT on liquor, HRAWI has stated that the significant hike in taxes will have adverse effects on the hospitality industry, particularly on restaurants and bars and subsequently impact the state's tourism sector. "Tourism is a vital .
However, states adopt different practices while imposing GST on extra neutral alcohol, which is key input used to produce liquor
Dry day refers to the prohibition on the sale of alcohol. Since the sale of liquor is a state subject, the laws around prohibition differ across the country
According to a report, Karnataka levies an 83 per cent tax on the actual price of a liquor, which makes it costly compared to the other states
Reversal of fortunes could lift the industry's spirits
A notification issued by the Finance department of Delhi government has empowered the Excise Commissioner to declare dry days for closure of liquor outlets in the city, officials said on Friday. The proposal of the Excise department on the declaration of dry days was earlier sent for approval of the chief minister, they said. No immediate reaction was available from the AAP government on the notification. Last month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved a proposal of the Excise department for declaring Muharram, July 29, Independence Day, August 15, Janmashtami, September 7, and Eid-e-Milad on September 28, as dry days. However, the notification issued by the Finance department on July 28 stated that the Excise Commissioner with prior concurrence of the principal secretary (finance) can exercise the power of the government for the purpose. "In exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 8 of Delhi Excise Act, 2009 (10 of 2010), the Hon'ble Lt. Governor of Nationa