UP’s Yogi Sarkar draws a liquor laxman rekha

LUCKNOW: Purchase, transport and private storage of Indian made foreign liquor and imported foreign liquor beyond the permissible retail sale limit in Uttar Pradesh now requires a special licence, according to a rule which is part of the 2021-2022 excise policy of the state effective from this month. The move targets only those who maintain their own bars at home. “We have brought in this rule to give such connoisseurs of liquor a legal provisioning so that they are not caught on the wrong side of the law for keeping large quantities of alcohol,” said a senior excise department official. This is evident from the fact that an eligible applicant for the licence is expected to have paid income tax for the past five years including minimum three years under the 20% bracket, which is applicable to those earning more than Rs 10 lakh per year. Besides, at an annual licence fee of Rs 12,000 along with a security deposit of Rs 51,000, it will also give the department an opportunity to earn extra revenue, said another official. According to a 2010 government notification, not more than six litres of Indian made or imported foreign liquor could be sold in retail. Similarly, the limit for retail sale of wine and beer was fixed at 3 litres and 7.8 litres respectively. However, there was no limit on liquor to be held by a person at any given time.80460401According to the new rule, a licencee may have a collection of assorted liquor, but the maximum quantity of each category of liquor that can be held has been fixed. For example, no more than six bottles of 750 ml each of Bottled in India (BII) whisky, or no more than twelve 500/650 ml of BII beer is allowed to be held. Fifteen categories of liquor with their maximum holding limit have been specified. Also, for all categories, 12 bottles of 60 ml or 90 ml capacities can also be held. The rule is only applicable for Indian made foreign liquor and imported foreign liquor such as whisky, rum, wine, brandy, beer, gin and vodka.

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