According to reports, the UT Excise and Taxation Department has introduced the Excise Policy for the year 2024-25, effective from 01 April, following the failure to sell 18 out of 95 liquor vends during 20 e-auctions in the financial year 2023-24. The new policy incorporates several relaxations without increasing liquor rates.

• A notable provision in the policy is that any unsold liquor vend will now be managed by the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO), marking a significant change.
• Additionally, individuals convicted of criminal offenses will be barred from obtaining liquor licenses, a new measure introduced.
• To combat illegal liquor sales, the department will implement a “Track and Trace” system, which utilises barcodes and batch numbers to track manufacturer details and production dates, enhancing transparency and accountability in the supply chain.
• Moreover, the fee for auction participation for each liquor vend has been reduced from INR 3.50 lakh to INR 2 lakh, and the reserve price of liquor vends has been decreased from INR 486 crore to INR 452 crore. The Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) quota has been reduced from 18.51 lakh cases to 17.39 lakh cases, while the imported liquor quota has been increased from 74,000 cases to 1.74 lakh cases.
• This year, only 84 liquor vends will be auctioned compared to 95 last year, with the policy allowing one licensee to acquire up to 10 liquor vends. Furthermore, the policy maintains the same license fee and duty for beer, wine, and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages to encourage low-alcohol drinks consumption.