Madhya Pradesh Excise Policy Stalls Over Liquor Shop Closures; Cabinet Sub-Committee To Review Revenue Loss

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The fate of the excise policy approved in the cabinet meeting at Maheshwar seems to have been stuck up. What has come as impediment to the policy is the government’s decision to shut liquor shops at 17 cities. According to sources, it been sent to the cabinet sub-committee set up to deal with the excise policy. The sub-committee will send it to the cabinet. It is only after that the excise department will be able to issue tenders for liquor outlets.

The government may have decided to close liquor outlets in 17 cities, but provision for how the revenue loss will be met up has not been mentioned in the policy. The closure of liquor outlets will cause a revenue loss of Rs 462 crore to the government exchequer.

In the policy, the excise department has not mentioned whether it will forego the loss or it will add the loss to other shops and issue tenders accordingly. Before this, the government closed liquor shops located within five kilometers of the Narmada. But it increased the rates of those shops located outside its periphery.

Nevertheless, no such provision has been made in the new excise policy. According to sources, the cub-committee will decide how the government will meet up the loss. Afterwards, the proposal will get approved by the cabinet. Sources further said that there is resentment against the proposal for approval for the sale of beer, wine and Ready-to-Drink in restaurants, civil clubs and resorts. This will increase the sale of narcotics, and the cabinet may mull over it again.