Delhi liquor to replace its cheap country cousin

The Delhi government has decided to replace country-made liquor with a better quality 'Delhi Medium Liquor' (DML), a cheap alternative of Indian made foreign liquor, in the city. The liquor would not just be of a better quality but the branding would help checking smuggling and sale of spurious liquor.

The Delhi government has decided to replace country-made liquor with a better quality 'Delhi Medium Liquor' (DML), a cheap alternative of Indian made foreign liquor, in the city. The liquor would not just be of a better quality but the branding would help checking smuggling and sale of spurious liquor.

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The Delhi Cabinet on Monday gave the go-ahead to the proposal to gradually phase out the existing country liquor on an experimental basis and sell DML. Once the pilot succeeds the country-made liquor would be completely phased put and DML would be sold across the Capital.

Delhi becomes the first state in northern India to sell better quality medium liquor. Southern states such as Kerela, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have already phased out country-made liquor.

According to excise officials, the DML would be relatively safer. "DML is 60 degree proof liquor, which is the unit to measure the content of alcohol in a beverage. We will carry out rigorous checking to ensure the quality of DML," said a senior excise official. It will be sold from 104 liquor vends initially and priced higher than country-made liquor. It is likely to earn Rs. 1.03 crore additional excise to the state government.