THE STATE excise department has changed the category of liquor from cashew apples and Mohua flowers to Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from that of Country Liquor earlier.
This decision was taken to promote liquor from local produce, said a senior officer. “Earlier, we had allowed production of liquor from Mohua flowers and cashew apples, but it was categorised as Country Liquor. It attracted a duty of Rs 10 per litre. We will categorise it as IMFL and it can get incentivised duty. People can create niche products as well,’’ a senior officer of the excise department said. From Mohua flowers, the government wants to create an industry of Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore turnover.
In another move, the Cabinet has passed a decision to upgrade liquor stores with large areas. The state has created categories of super premium outlet and elite outlet.
For a super premium outlet, one needs to have a shop of more than 601 sq metres and for an elite outlet, one must have an area from 71 sq metres to 600 sq metres. “Such outlets are doing well in Gurugram and other places. Hence we thought, we must have two more categories which earn us more revenue,” said an excise officer.
The above news was originally posted on indianexpress.com
