State Excise Minister Ananda Acharya told The Financial Express that the higher revenue expected this year is thanks to the Orissa State Beverages Corporation (OSBC), which has become fully operational now and has the complete monopoly on wholesale trade in Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer.

The excise revenue has become a matter of concern for the state's resource-planners. The excise revenue was as low as Rs 105.82 crore in 1997-98 and Rs 109.67 crore in 1998-99. It was Rs 114.82 crore last year.

Mr Acharya said the revenue generally remains low due to the rampant trade in spurious IMFL and illicit liquor. He mentioned that the government has detected 25,012 such cases and arrested 15,518 persons as on January 1 of the current fiscal. Last fiscal, the government had detected 26,198 cases and arrested 16,235 persons.

Till January 1 this fiscal, 2.63 lakh litres of illicit liquor, 94,291 litres of IMFL and 30,423 litres of beer were confiscated, as against 1.69 lakh litres of illicit liquor, 23,599 litres of IMFL and 3,612 litres of beer last year. The minister said the enforcement work in all the districts has been strengthened in view of the recent liquor tragedy in Puri and Khurda districts, which claimed 20 lives.