Wine is not liquor, Sanjay Raut rebuts Fadnavis’ ‘Madya-rashtra’ remark
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government has permitted the sale of wine in supermarkets and walk-in stores to boost the industry.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday defended the Maharashra government's decision to allow sale of wine in supermarkets and walk-in stores saying that wine cannot be equated with liquor. Raut’s comment comes amid criticism from former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that the Shiv Sena-led coalition government in the state wants to turn Maharashtra into “Madya-rashtra (liquor state)”.
“Wine is not liquor. If wine sales increase (in the state), farmers will benefit from it. We have done this to double farmers' income. The BJP only opposes moves, but does nothing for farmers,” Raut hit out at Fadnavis' remarks.
Accusing the Uddhav Thackeray government of prioritising liquor sale over other critical issues, Fadnavis has said, “We will not allow Maharashtra to become a Madya-rashtra. He said the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government did nothing to help people during the two years of the pandemic, and their “priority is promoting the sale of liquor”.
The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal to sell wine in supermarkets and walk-in stores across the state at a flat annual licensing fee of ₹5,000. The move aims to ensure a more accessible marketing channel for Indian wineries.
Wine bars, which already sell wine for consumption, but only on their premises (using what is called the E-2 license) will also be allowed to sell wine in sealed bottles for off consumption.
The two-decade tax holiday for wine produced in Maharashtra came to an end on December 31, 2021.
Maharashtra has 72 of the 110 wineries across the country. Of these, around 40 to 45 are operational. However, only 15 to 20 units are into direct marketing, while the rest are involved into contract manufacturing.