After Ladki Bahin scheme, Maharashtra hikes liquor duties to ease cash crunch
Maharashtra government
has decided to hike excise duty of
Indian-made Foreign Liquor
(IMFL) from three times to 4.5 times of the declared manufacturing cost (up to ₹260 per bulk litre). The state Cabinet has also decided to increase duty on country liquor from ₹180 to ₹205 per proof litre.
The state has introduced a new category of
grain-based Maharashtra-made Liquor
(MML), which will be produced by local manufacturers but will require new registrations.
The state has also revised minimum retail prices for 180 ml bottles - country liquor will now cost ₹80 (₹70 earlier), MML will cost ₹148 and IMFL ₹205. Premium foreign liquor will cost ₹360 (₹210 earlier).
The duty hikes will help the state government earn ₹14,000 crore more annually. Maharashtra has been facing a cash crunch due to payout schemes, such as the
Ladki Bahin Yojana
where eligible women are paid ₹1,500 per month.
According to a note from the Chief Minister's Office, the decisions in the Cabinet were taken after 'a high-level study of best practices in other states, covering excise duty structures, licensing and tax collection'.
The state has also decided to create 1,223 new posts - 744 regular and 479 supervisory in the excise department.
The bill will be tabled in the upcoming session of the state legislature.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
2 minutes ago
- India.com
THIS city has become India's hottest investment hub? Not Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, the city is...
Bengaluru has emerged as the prime investment hub in India. (File) Bengaluru Real Estate Prices: IT hub Bengaluru has overtaken other major Indian metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad on the Prime Global Cities Index (PGCI) for Q2 2025 published by Knight Frank– a London-based real estate consultancy firm– with the Karnataka capital emerging as the hottest investment hub in India. Why real estate prices have surged in Bengaluru? Bengaluru is ranked fourth among the top 15 global cities list which also features national capital Delhi and Mumbai. However, Bengaluru has emerged as an attractive investment destination, with data showing that the city gives faster and higher returns to investors. According to data, the price of prime real estate in Bengaluru have soared by a whopping 10.2% annually– the highest among Indian cities– followed by Mumbai (8.7%), and Delhi (3.9%), which are ranked 6th and 15th on the list, respectively. The primary reason for Bengaluru's rapid rise is its sturdy IT sector, offering some of the highest-paying tech jobs in the country, which in turn fuels the demand for premium properties in the city. Why Bengaluru attracts global investors? As per the PGCI report, Bengaluru, dubbed the 'Silicon Valley of India', is home to several Indian and global tech giants as well as scores of tech startups, and this strong tech ecosystem attracts a large number of professionals, leading to a steady rise in the number of people buying and renting premium homes in the city. Additionally, the expansion of major projects such as the Namma Metro aka the Bengaluru Metro, Outer Ring Road, and the Peripheral Ring Road, have improved connectivity, making travel a breeze while increasing real estate prices as people often prefer to live close to their office where all modern amenities are available at a walking distance. Further, Bengaluru has a more favorable climate than cities like Delhi and Mumbai, and its modern, cosmopolitan culture makes it an ideal city for young professionals and global investors. Story Highlights Bengaluru is rapidly emerging as the hottest investment hub in India. The Karnataka capital is ranked ahead of other major Indian metros, including Delhi and Mumbai. Bengaluru's modern, cosmopolitan culture makes it an ideal city for young professionals. Real estate prices in Bengaluru have surged by 10.2% annually. According to the report by Knight Frank, Bengaluru-based startups raised over $64 billion in funding over the last decade, which accounts for 31% of funding by all startups across India.
Time of India
2 minutes ago
- Time of India
93% of Indian business leaders plan to use AI agents in next 12-18 months : Microsoft
93% of Indian business leaders intend to use AI agents to extend workforce capabilities in the next 12-18 months, Microsoft 's Work Trend Index (WTI) 2025 report on Wednesday, it showed India's workforce is rapidly moving towards an 'AI-first' how Indian companies are ahead of their global counterparts in adopting generative AI tools, the report has pointed out productivity, creativity, and security have emerged as the biggest drivers of on a global survey of 31,000 professionals across 31 countries, the report also noted that more than three in four knowledge workers in India already use AI at work. Sectors such as IT services, finance, and manufacturing are among the fastest adopters of AI, it report said India's most forward-looking organizations – what Microsoft calls Frontier Firms – are leading the charge in reimagining work. These firms also report that they can take on more work and offer opportunities for more meaningful work, while being less concerned about AI replacing jobs."Already, 59% of leaders are using AI agents to automate workstreams or business processes across entire teams, the highest share globally. 90% of Indian business leaders say this is a pivotal year to rethink core strategies and operations," Microsoft said in a statement on WTI a move toward dynamic, AI-integrated teams, organizations are also preparing for a new generation of roles such as Agent Bosses, AI Workflow Designers, and Software Operators, it said. Case in point, the report said 51% of leaders cite upskilling as their top priority over the next 12–18 months, with 63% of managers expecting AI training to become a core responsibility within five years.'For us, AI is a massive force multiplier. With respect to Copilot , which is a UI for AI, we've seen tech's growth in the last six months. There's a real opportunity for us to build the AI stack, because every industry, every function, would get invented and reinvented with AI,' Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India and South Asia, the same time, the report highlighted that AI's role is not about replacing humans but augmenting them.'AI has moved from this hype and buzzword to real impact. I don't think the human-in-the-loop model will come away. AI will augment humans. It will not replace humans. And I think this interplay of human judgment, human creativity, human context, along with AI agents, is where the magic will happen,' Chandok asked about the recent SharePoint cyberattack, Chandok emphasised Microsoft's approach to embedding security directly into its AI offerings.'Our Security Copilot is constantly working at looking at threat intelligence. We see around 7,000 password attacks every minute and millions of signals being picked up every hour. Our ability to apply AI for security ensures we are more secure, and security for AI makes sure that platforms like SharePoint and the data you're using remain protected,' he said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Russian crude oil continues to flow to India: First Deputy PM Manturo
Russian oil and energy resources continue to flow to India as Moscow sees potential for LNG exports, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturo said on Wednesday. "We continue to ship fuel, including crude oil and oil products, thermal and coking coal. We see potential for exporting Russian LNG," Manturov said, co-chairing the 26th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific-Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). From the Indian side, the commission was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who arrived here on Tuesday on a three-day visit. "We expect to expand comprehensive cooperation in the peaceful nuclear sector, including on the basis of the successful experience of the Kudankulam NPP construction project," the Russian leader said. Manturov noted that trade between Russia and India in national currencies has exceeded 90 per cent. "An equally important task, especially in the current realities, is to ensure seamless mutual settlements. We have already managed to transfer more than 90 per cent of payments between Russia and India to national currencies," Manturov said. India and Russia will continue to develop cooperation in the banking sector to further strengthen interbank cooperation and interaction in the insurance sector, he added. After the meeting, Jaishankar in a social media post said, We had detailed discussions on our cooperation in a wide-ranging arena including trade & economic sector, agriculture, energy, industries, skilling, mobility, education and culture. As we prepare for the Annual Leaders Summit, confident that the outcomes of the IRIGC-TEC meeting today will further drive the time-tested India-Russia partnership, he added. Jaishankar and Manturov signed the protocol of the IRIGC-TEC sessions; details of which would be released later by the governments in New Delhi and Moscow. Earlier, Jaishankar laid wreaths at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin Wall to pay homage to Soviet people who died in World War II. He also met with experts of top Russian think-tanks to explain recent developments in India's foreign policy. Before leaving for home on Thursday, he will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss current issues amid the global turmoil and Trump administration's sanctions on India. Lavrov and Jaishankar will also set the agenda for President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in China from August 31 to September 1. The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duties for India's purchase of Russian crude oil that will come into effect from August 27. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
