Lower legal drinking age to 21, reduce number of dry days: Delhi panel

If approved, the three dry days are supposed to be on Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti

A committee set up by the Delhi government to suggest ways to augment excise revenue has suggested that the legal age for drinking be reduced from 25 years to 21 years in Delhi, the number of dry days in a year be reduced to three, issuing of licenses to departmental stores to sell beer and wine be convenient, and there be more equitable distribution of government-run liquor stores across the city, said a senior government official.

Representational photo. (ANI)

The senior official said that the legal drinking age of 21 years will be at par with several other states and so will be the policy of lesser dry days. If approved, the three dry days are supposed to be on Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.

Delhi has 864 liquor stores that are operated by government agencies such as Delhi tourism corporation, Delhi state civil supplies corporation limited, and Delhi state industrial and infrastructure development corporation. The committee has recommended an equitable distribution of such stores across all 272 municipal wards, NDMC areas and the indira Gandhi International Airport, said the official citing a report prepared by the committee.

There are also 125 department stores in Delhi which sell beer and wine under the L12 and L12-F excise licenses. Under these categories of licenses, the stores are required to ensure that not more than 10% of their total floor area is utilised to store wine and beer. Last year, after 41 departmental stores were found violating such norms, the government had refused to invite renewal applications for all stores under the L12 and L12-F categories. The committee has recommended ease of license norms for such stores from the financial year 2021-22, said the official.

The committee was set up in September by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance and excise portfolios, to suggest measures to augment state excise revenue, including measures to check malpractices and evasion of duty in liquor trade and supporting the driving mechanism.

The recommendations of the committee are yet to be put up in public domain for feedback from stakeholders.