Liquor is among the largest sources of revenue in Delhi, with the local administration earning around Rs 5,400 crore from its sale in 2019-20.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia while announcing the decision said that, ‘there will be no government liquor stores in the city and that no new liquor shops will be opened in the capital’.
Today, the Delhi government approved a new excise policy lowering the minimum age for consumption of liquor to 21 years from the previous the legal drinking age in Delhi which was 25.
Sisodia also said that the main emphasis of the new policy will be on stopping evasion of tax and duties. “Revenue is expected to grow by 20 per cent,” he announced during a press briefing.
The decision comes after a government committee under the chairmanship of the Excise Commissioner suggested making 21 the permitted age for drinking and reducing the number of dry days to three in a year.
The panel had also recommended bringing a new policy for issuing retail licenses to departmental stores for selling beer, wine and other “soft liquor categories”, and promoting ease of business for hotels, clubs and restaurants through reforms in the hospitality sector policies.
