Vijayawada | October 16, 2025
To curb the sale of spurious liquor, the Andhra Pradesh government has made it mandatory for all licensed liquor shops and bars to verify every bottle using QR code scanning before sale. This directive comes soon after the launch of the AP Excise Suraksha App (APESA), which allows retailers to check the authenticity of liquor in real time.
Principal Secretary (Revenue–Excise) Mukesh Kumar Meena said that this move is aimed at ensuring that only genuine, government-approved liquor reaches consumers. “All liquor outlets must display a board stating that the liquor sold here is verified for authenticity and quality through QR code scanning,” he instructed.
Under the new rule, retailers must inspect each bottle’s seal, cap, hologram, and QR code before selling it. The scanned details — such as brand, batch number, timestamp, and verification status — must be recorded daily in a liquor genuineness verification register (either digital or manual).
The APESA app, integrated with the state excise ERP system, shows one of three outcomes when a bottle is scanned:
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Authentic Product
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Duplicate/Tampered Code
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Code Not Found
Any bottles with tampered or missing codes must be immediately set aside and reported to the local excise officer.
Excise officers have also been instructed to carry out random QR code checks and scientific testing daily. Retailers must verify at least 5% of bottles from every new consignment received from APSBCL depots, with a signed verification certificate kept on file.
Meena directed the Director of Excise and the Managing Director of APSBCL to ensure strict compliance across the state, emphasizing that this initiative is a crucial step to safeguard public health and eliminate the circulation of illicit liquor in Andhra Pradesh.
