Lucknow, UP wallahs, get ready to pay more if you want to get high. The state government, led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, has approved a proposal which will lead to a hike in basic license fee for Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL), beer, and country made liquor shops by 20, 15 and 10 percent.
This hike in licence fee may cause an increase in liqour across Uttar Pradesh from April 1, 2020.
The new excise policy for 2020-2021, which has been approved by the state cabinet, will also have special licence for serving liquor on special trains. It also has a provision for lounge bar at airports and selling wine at beer shops along with the Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) shops across the state.
While briefing the media, state government spokespersons Sidharth Nath Singh and Shrikant Sharma claimed that the new excise policy will introduce more transparency and will deal a blow to the liqour cartels.
They said that the new policy aims to increase the excise duty realisation due to ease of doing business. They also claimed that it will lead to decentralisation of power, rationalisation of duty structure, use of modern technologies for quality assurance and availability of brands and high-end quality products throughout the year.
