Haryana Cabinet approves New Excise Policy
Chandigarh: The New Excise Policy, 2023-24 approved by the Haryana Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Tuesday will limit the maximum number of retail liquor vends in the State from 2,600 to 2,500 in 2022-23 and from 2,500 to 2,400 in 2023- 24.
Along with this, it has been decided that liquor vends shall not be opened in religious places notified around Shri Mata Mansa Devi Temple in Panchkula and in villages in which Gurukuls are functioning.
In the current policy, the retail liquor vend zone size has also been decreased from four to two in a bid to allow more participants to apply for liquor shop licence through e-tender.
In the new Policy, there has been an increase in the basic quota of Country Liquor, Indian Made Foreign Liquor and Imported Foreign Liquor (BIO). With this, there has also been a nominal increase in rates of excise duty on country liquor and IMFL. The increase aims to give a major push to the excise revenue.
To curb pilferage of liquor by wholesale licensees, the penalty provisions have been made stringent and there will be a complete ban on liquor promotion advertisements on various platforms by the licensee, including on social media as well.
Caution boards would be displayed outside all hotels, pubs and bars, restaurants and café serving liquor under excise licence. Furthermore, to ensure the safety of staff and customers, it will be compulsory for all retail vends in urban areas, taverns and wholesale licensees to install fire-fighting equipment. The CCTV Cameras shall also be installed in all of the above shops/godowns.
Also, the retail permit fee has been imposed in the policy with a targeted collection of Rs 400 crore. The said amount will be utilised for Environment and Animal Welfare.
With this, as an environmentally friendly measure, the new policy aims to discontinue the use of PET bottles in the bottling of liquor after February 29, 2024.
For ease of doing business, in the new policy, the labels of IFL (BIO) shall also be renewed at the district level. Also, in order to promote the MSME sector, the licence fees for small breweries have been reduced. The supervisory fee for wineries has been reduced to promote wineries in the State.
Haryana Cabinet accorded approval to a proposal regarding amendment in rule 14.29 of Punjab Police Rules, 1934.
As per the amendment in the Punjab Police Rules, 1934, rule 14.29 shall be omitted, thereby abolishing the Handy side memorial fund and the Saunders-Chanan Singh fund and merging the corpus with the police welfare fund.
In order to ensure transparency and enhance accountability in public expenditures, Haryana Government has decided to establish a new department namely the “Directorate of State Audit”, under the administrative control of the Finance Department. The Directorate of State Audit will conduct an internal audit of all auditable entities such as all the departments, boards, corporations, co-operative societies, universities, local authorities, statutory bodies, public institutions and other authorities established, controlled or financed by the State government, NGOs which receive grant-in-aid or contribution from State government and all those entities that receive public monies from the State Government in any form including organisations which receive funds from the consolidated fund of the State.
