Liquor prices are likely to drop by 35-60 per cent in Punjab with the state Cabinet of the AAP-led government approving its first excise policy earlier this week. The slashed prices will be on par with the rate in Chandigarh and Haryana, or even lower.
As per the new excise policy, which will be applicable for a period for nine months from July 1, this year till March 31, 2023, the Bhagwant Mann-led government has allowed the sale of an unlimited quota of beer and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL).
No quota has been fixed for lifting IMFL and beer by the retail licensees. However, the quota for the Punjab Medium Liquor (PML) remained what it was last year.
The new excise policy stipulates to tap the actual potential of liquor trade by allotting 177 groups through a free, fair and transparent manner of e-tendering. Earlier, liquor vends were allotted on the basis of draw of lots.
The general size of the group shall be around Rs 30 crore and there shall be 6,378 vends in the state, said the spokesperson.
The prices of liquor in Punjab will now be 10-15 per cent lower than in Haryana. Beer prices will vary between Rs 120 and Rs 130 per bottle against Rs 120-Rs 150 per bottle in Chandigarh. The beer rate in Punjab currently is around Rs 180-Rs 200 per bottle. The IMFL’s most widely consumed brand will now cost Rs 400 in Punjab, compared with Rs 510 in Chandigarh. Currently, the bottle is available in Punjab at Rs 700, according to a report in The Tribune.
A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said the policy strives to keep a stringent check over smuggling of liquor from the neighbouring states through extensive enforcement and by incorporating new technological measures.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the AAP government of replicating the Delhi excise model to benefit a few. “@Aam AadmiParty is abusing Punjab state machinery & replicating Delhi model of excise in Punjab to benefit a selected few,” said Sirsa in a tweet.