NEW DELHI, April 11: The BJP government in Delhi will come up with a new “foolproof” excise policy, adopting best practices of other states to boost revenue, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has said.
In an interview with PTI, she said the policy will be transparent and tailored to ensure it does not create any issue in society.
The BJP came to power in Delhi in February this year, unseating the Aam Aadmi Party. The alleged irregularities and corruption in the excise policy 2021-22 brought by the previous AAP government was one of the major poll planks for the BJP. This policy was scrapped after the charges surfaced.
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During her interview with PTI on Thursday, Gupta said, “We will bring a new, foolproof policy that is transparent and generates revenue for the government.”
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 AAP replaced old excise policy in November 2021, implementing the new policy (2021-22) aimed at reforming liquor trade in Delhi. The policy, however, fell prey to allegations of irregularities and corruption.
A CBI probe was recommended by Lt Governor V K Saxena in July 2022 to look into the charges of irregularities and violation of rules in the formulation and implementation of the policy, soon after which the AAP government scrapped it.
Under the policy, private players were allowed to operate wholesale and retail liquor operations. The liquor vends were handed over to private companies and the government quit the business.
Eventually, the policy was scrapped on August 31, 2022 with private liquor shops shutting doors.
The old policy, under which the wholesale and retail liquor sales were handled by the Delhi government was implemented again and it continues.
Delhi at present has around 700 liquor stores operated by four Corporations of the government.
The Delhi Chief Minister on Wednesday held a review meeting with senior officials of the Excise Department in which formulation of the new policy was discussed.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office said the government is committed to a “transparent and effective” excise policy. (PTI)
