The BJP-led Delhi government is set to unveil a new “foolproof” excise policy that will incorporate the best practices from other states to boost revenue, according to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
In an interview with PTI, Gupta emphasized that the new policy will be transparent, carefully designed to avoid societal issues, and focused on generating government revenue.
“We will bring a new, foolproof policy that is transparent and generates revenue for the government.” Gupta said in an interview with PTI on Thursday.
The policy will be such that it does not cause any problems to the people and society at large, she said. “In some states, excise policies are doing fine. We will follow these best excise policies of different states.”
The BJP came to power in Delhi in February, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). One of the key issues during the election was the alleged corruption and irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy introduced by the AAP, which led to its eventual scrapping after the charges emerged.
The previous AAP-led government had replaced the old excise policy in November 2021 with a reform aimed at transforming the liquor trade in Delhi. However, it faced allegations of corruption, leading to a CBI probe and the eventual scrapping of the policy in August 2022. Following this, the government returned to the old policy, where wholesale and retail liquor sales are managed by government-run corporations.
At present, Delhi has about 700 liquor stores operated by four government corporations. In a review meeting on Wednesday, CM Gupta discussed the formulation of the new excise policy with senior Excise Department officials.
The Chief Minister’s Office reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a “transparent and effective” excise policy.
