Be conscious of public health, Naidu tells officials ahead of new liquor policy launch
Reviewing the functioning of the Excise Department at the Secretariat in Amaravati on Monday, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said the consumption of substandard quality liquor during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) rule caused the death of a large number of people, devastating their families.
He noted that since the implementation of the NLP was around the corner, the Excise Department should take necessary steps while being conscious of the fact that the government could not afford to make money at the cost of public health. The recommendations made by the Cabinet Sub-Committee have to be strictly adhered to.
Licences
As on date, the State has 840 bars, and under the new policy, bar licences would be issued through a lottery system subject to the payment of annual licence fees based on population (₹35 lakh for areas with population below 50,000, ₹55 lakh for towns with population below five lakh, and ₹75 lakh for cities / towns whose populations exceeds five lakh).
The Chief Minister ordered that 10% of the bar licences should be allotted to underprivileged castes, as being done in the case of liquor shops.
Officials told the Chief Minister that there has been an increase in liquor sales in areas bordering the neighbouring States due to a fall in prices, availability of brands and quality liquor in A.P. The situation was the opposite during the YSRCP rule, when liquor used to be smuggled from other States.
The officials said that 12 districts have been declared as fully 'ID liquor-free', and eight more districts will follow suit in a month.
Minister Kollu Ravindra (Excise, and Mining) and Kondapalli Srinivas (MSME & SERP) and senior officials were present.
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