Jaipur: The excise department will soon organise an auction of nearly 1,000 liquor shops, after it failed to find takers earlier.
There are 7,665 liquor shops in the state and owners have to apply for renewal every year. However, the department found no takers for 1,000 shops in all the divisions, including 38 in Jaipur.
“These shops were auctioned in three phases which started from March 13. The second phase auction was held on March 20, while the third and final phase auction was on March 27.
Still, many shops were not taken by any buyers. One more auction will be started soon,” said an official.
If the liquor shops still find no takers in the auction, they will be run by government departments including Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC), Ganganagar Sugar Mill (GSM) and State Beverages Corporation Limited (RSBCL).
The officers and employees of these departments will operate liquor shops so that the state government can earn revenue.
At present, liquor is the biggest source of revenue for the state government. Excise department had set a target of Rs 15,000 crore revenue in the current financial year (2022-23), which is expected to increase in the next financial year.
