Several key issues were discussed in the recent meeting, including fixed retail margins, excise duty, the legal drinking age for beer in Delhi, and the availability of premium brands.
New Delhi: Delhiites will no longer have to travel to Gurugram or other cities in Haryana for cheaper liquor. Reports suggest that the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government is planning to slash the prices of premium liquors. The idea behind the step is to bring the prices in line with those in other cities of the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the reports, an excise committee has held a meeting on this matter. The committee has been formed to create a “transparent and socially safe” liquor policy. This ministerial committee is chaired by PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, along with a few other ministers as its members.
Here are some of the key details:
- The new liquor policy is expected to be finalized within a month, according to the sources.
- Several key issues were discussed in the recent meeting, including fixed retail margins, excise duty, the legal drinking age for beer in Delhi, and the availability of premium brands.
- According to sources, the Rekha Gupta-led government is planning to reopen private liquor shops in the capital along with government-owned outlets.
- This system existed before November 2021. Under the current policy, premium brands are not available, which has led to a loss of revenue for the government.
- To address this issue, the government is now considering making premium brands available at all stores.
- Additionally, discussions are underway to lower the legal drinking age for beer from 25 to 21 years.
Why are liquor prices in neighboring states of Delhi cheaper?
It is important to note that there isn’t much difference in the prices of Indian liquor brands. However, people often travel to Haryana cities bordering Delhi, such as Gurugram, to buy premium liquor. This is because in Delhi, the retail margin is fixed on a “per bottle” basis, whereas in Gurugram, there is no such fixed retail margin. As a result, liquor is available at cheaper rates not only in Gurugram but across Haryana.
