Pvt players to run liquor stores in state from Sept 1
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Ranchi: Retail India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country liquor shops in Ranchi and across the state will be operated by private players from September 1 as per the new excise policy, the state excise and prohibitions department said on Friday.
However, the wholesale liquor sales are still controlled by the state-run Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL), it added. The state cabinet had approved the Jharkhand Excise (Settlement and Operation of Shops for Retail Sale of Liquor) Rules, 2025, in May this year.
The new move was a shift from the earlier arrangement which had been in effect since 2019, during which the JSBCL controlled retail liquor sales in the state.
Excise commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla said the new rules were notified on May 21. Though the rollout was slated in June, administrative and logistic hurdles pushed the deadline to September, excise department sources said.
"According to the new rules, several steps must be followed before the implementation, which include issuing tenders to rope in private players, providing a window for at least 15 days to the new shops for preparation, and developing software for holding a lottery among the bidders through an online medium.
The lottery process will start either by the end of July or in the beginning of August," sources said.
The department last week started the handover-cum-takeover process of over 1,453 liquor shops in the state from placement agencies after completion of the latter's contract period. By Thursday, 90% of the process was completed. Now, JSBCL will run the liquor shops across the state till August 31 as a measure to fulfil the liquor demand in the state.
Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, general secretary of the Jharkhand Sharab Vyapari Sangh, welcomed the move. "Following the implementation of the new policy, the govt will receive advance revenue, which will contribute to strengthening the state's exchequer," he claimed.
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