505 liquor brands registered in Delhi so far as part of new excise policy: Govt

The Delhi government said Friday that the new excise policy will help promote liquor brand availability in the Capital and the customer will have a wider choice

The Delhi government said Friday that the new excise policy will help promote liquor brand availability in the Capital and the customer will have a wider choice. A government official said that under the new excise policy, the excise department has, so far, registered 505 brands, including 332 Indian brands and 173 foreign ones.

Delhi moved to a new excise regime from November 17 this year that promises to improve user experience, increase government revenue, and clean up malpractices in the Capital’s liquor business. (Amal KS/HT Photo)

“Of these, 166 brands of whisky, 55 brands of vodka, 65 brands of beer, 154 brands of wine, and 65 brands of other categories such rum, gin, brandy, liqueurs, and mixed alcoholic beverages have been registered for the year 2021-22. We have processed all applications and there is no brand registration pending,” the official said.

The official added that the excise department is trying to add more brands in the next few months.

Delhi moved to a new excise regime from November 17, 2021, which promises to improve user experience, increase government revenue, and clean up malpractices in the Capital’s liquor business. “We have reduced registration fees for a majority of liquor brand categories. This will further give the customer a wide choice in terms of brand availability. We have rationalised the brand registration process in order to make all niche brands available to the residents of the Capital,” a government official said.

In March 2021, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had announced that a new policy will be set up for the liquor trade and the government will exit the business of selling liquor.

Earlier, HT had reported that there were some initial hiccups once the new excise policy came into force--many vends faced a shortage in supply while some sites had not yet opened.