NEW DELHI, Sep 6: The Delhi Government has earned an excise revenue of over Rs 269 crore in the first week of September so far with the retail liquor business being expanded by its four undertakings across the city, officials said Tuesday.
The four undertakings are running 380 wine and beer stores currently. The revenue is expected to increase further since more vends will open and nearly 1,000 liquor brands will be made available in the coming days, they said.
The AAP Government reverted to its old excise regime from September 1 with over 350 liquor vends opened by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation and Delhi Consumers’ Cooperative Wholesale Store.
“Rs 269.08 crore excise revenue, including licence fee and excise duty, has been collected (up to September 5) under the current regime. In addition to this, revenue, as VAT on liquor sales, of proportionate value will also be received,” according to a statement from the Excise department.
Liquor outlets have reported an average sales of about 8 lakh bottles daily in the first week of September which is likely to go up in the coming days. Liquor licences of about 926 hotels, clubs and restaurants have been auto-renewed till February 28, 2023.
According to the latest figures, 387 retail vends were running in the city. The government has directed its four undertakings to open 500 vends in September. The number will be scaled up further to 700 by year-end, officials said.
Under the Excise Policy 2021-22, private vends had logged a sale of around 13 to 14 lakh liquor bottles daily. The policy was withdrawn by the government in July after a CBI probe was recommended by Lt Governor V K Saxena into alleged irregularities in its implementation.
The Excise department is also going to open many premier vends and six stores in shopping malls. The undertaking of the Delhi Government will run the retail liquor vends till January 2023, said the statement from the Excise department.
A total of 72 wholesale suppliers have registered 600 brands. The Excise department has approved 60 licences with 430 brands, including 195 Indian and 235 foreign ones, the statement said.
“More than 1,000 brands will be brought into the Delhi market to cater to different strata of the society in the coming days. As of date, sufficient liquor for more than 12 full days is available in Delhi,” it said.
The department has issued licences for one microbrewery that has yet to start production and the process is on to set up four more microbreweries. Five premier wine and beer shops in partnership with Delhi Metro will also be opened, the statement said. Two applications for draught beer have also been received by the Excise department.
The department has also developed an m-Abkari mobile app to help consumers search the location of retail vends and the availability of a particular brand in a store.
To check bootlegging, cross-border liquor smuggling, hoarding, discounting or overcharging and brand pushing, 33 teams have been formed by the government.
As part of ease of doing business and also considering the fixed timelines, licensees are being facilitated through no-objection certificates from the Trade and Taxes department within 24 hours through a nodal officer.
A help desk has also been made operational in the Excise department, the statement added. (PTI)
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