UP govt extends liquor sales timings for Christmas, New Year celebrations: These are new timings
In the wake of upcoming festivities around Christmas and New Year, the excise department of Uttar Pradesh has decided to keep the liquor shops open till 11:00 PM across the state. The shops will remain from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM on 24 December and 31 December, the government order said. The regular timings of the liquor shops are 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, but the government has decided to extend the deadline around festivals.
The announcement comes as the Uttar Pradesh administration is aiming to increase the revenue from liquor sales. Recently, the excise department has made certain changes to the liquor policy and allowed people to consume beer within 100 sq ft of their vends.
“Beer vends would be given permits, enabling their owners to allow consumers’ permission to consume it if they have 100 square feet of space adjacent to their vends. The police will not harass such people, provided they behave decently in public,” Nitin Agarwal, the Minister of State for Excise & Liquor Prohibition in UP government said as per India.com.
Target of ₹58,000 crore in excise revenue
The boost in liquor sales is going to help in the government’s target to garner more than ₹58,000 crore in excise revenue.
The industry players are demanding that the current 12-hour liquor sale time be extended owing to the high demand for liquor in the state. The government is not considering any such option now with the Excise Minister clearing that the sale time will be extended only on special occasions.
In order to provide a boost to the grain-based industry segment in the liquor industry, the UP government has decided to introduce a new category, which will be known as Uttar Pradesh Made Liquor (UPML) which will consist of 36% of alcohol-by-volume intensity.
“Two years back, we had introduced a grain-based country-made liquor with 42 percent intensity, and now we are introducing another variety that would co-exist with a similar molasses-based product in the 36 percent alcohol-by-volume segment, but one that would be aimed at promoting grain-based industry,” Nitin Agarwal said.
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Published: 23 Dec 2023, 07:01 PM IST
