The Jharkhand government has received a record excise revenue of Rs 188 crore in May, a jump of 70 per cent over the previous month, post amendments in excise policy related to rules of wholesale and retail sale of liquor, an official said.
The state Cabinet on March 30 had approved four major amendments in the excise policy related to rules of wholesale and retail sale of liquor and other cases resulting in the takeover of the wholesale and retail sale of liquor by the state government in a bid to push revenue collection to Rs 3,000 crore annually, from the current Rs 1,800 crore, in three years.
”In one month (May) the government has received Rs 188 crore in excise revenue, which is a record… Due to the new liquor policy of the Excise Department, an increase of 70 per cent has been registered in the revenue collection in May 2022. Before the implementation of the new policy, a revenue of Rs 109 crore was received in April 2022,” Secretary, Department of Excise and Prohibition, Vinay Kumar Choubey said.
Addressing media persons here, Choubey said the new liquor policy was implemented from May 1 which is in line with the revenue growth keeping in view wholesale, retail, and bar operations while the country liquor policy was amended.
Along with this, different agencies have been selected in a transparent manner through online tender for manpower, security guards, audit, and transport, he claimed. ”Last time there was a provision of revenue on sales, whereas this time provision has been made for revenue on off-take, as well as where liquor is being produced, we are providing the code by giving online hologram as per the new policy,” he said.
Excise Commissioner Amit Kumar said at present a total of 1,434 shops are active and a track and trace system is running as a pilot project in 49 shops.
The track and trace system is also being started in five districts -Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Seraikela, and Bokaro -from June 1 eliminating the possibility of leakages, he said. Under the new policy notified by the ”Jharkhand Excise (Operation of Retail Product Shops through Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited) Rules, 2022” and ”Jharkhand Liquor Storage and Wholesale Sale Rules, 2022”, the supply of liquor has been started from May 1, 2022.
The state excise and prohibitions department has earlier roped in an agency to prepare a roadmap to boost the sale of liquor.
Choubey claimed that the amendments will help check the illegal sale of liquor and also overpricing complaints.
“Now, instead of 75 godowns, there will be five godowns in five divisions of the state, which will be under the control of JSBCL (Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Limited) and operated by a private agency,” Choubey had said last month.
In a bid to deal with illegal sales and overpricing, quick response (QR) code will be used.
A consumer can trace price, manufacturing, and other important details through QR code in bottles.
The government had said that now, the size of foreign-made and country-made liquor bottles will be the same and plastic bottles will not be used.
