Jaipur: This month, the state excise department saw a significant increase in liquor revenue, despite facing numerous issues with a new ordering software. From October 1 to 19, the department collected ₹651 crore from liquor sales, which is a 34.6% rise compared to ₹484 crore in the previous month.
Officials from the Rajasthan State Beverages Corporation Limited (RSBCL) and Rajasthan State Ganganagar Sugar Mills (RSGSM), who are in charge of the new Integrated Excise Management System (IEMS) 2.0, reported that the first three weeks of October were particularly challenging due to technical glitches with the software launched on October 2.
Even with these challenges, the excise department managed to keep liquor supplies on track and even increase sales. A senior official mentioned that they mobilized district transport officers, excise inspectors, and clerical staff to ensure smooth operations. Teams worked on lifting old stock and bringing in fresh supplies, which helped address many issues faced by vendors despite the ongoing software problems.
The revenue from country liquor also saw a notable increase. Between October 1 and 19, ₹194 crore worth of country liquor was sold, up from ₹130 crore in September, representing a 49.23% rise. However, the IEMS 2.0 software still has persistent issues. Vendors reported problems such as funds not being credited correctly and payments showing under incorrect licensee names.
Nilesh Mewara, President of the Raj Liquor Welfare Association, highlighted further issues, including missing guarantees and incorrect balances, as well as delays in receiving bills for stock delivered offline on October 9 and 10.
