KOLKATA: There is good news for some of those who were unable to buy alcohol due to age. To mop up revenue, the Delhi government has decided to lower the legal age of drinking in the national capital to 21 years under the new excise policy announced by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Earlier, 25 was the legal age. The AAP government on Monday approved the suggestion from a committee of ministers constituted for the purpose by Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The government said new rules such as ‘age gating’ would be in place, where a person below the age of 21 won’t be allowed inside a hotel and restaurant. Finance Minister Sisodia said the government’s revenue could rise by Rs 2,000 crore within a year of the new policy. Excise is a major source of revenue for the government. The government has also decided that no new liquor shop will be authorised in the national capital, but the issue of uneven distribution of shops will be addressed.
It also decided to get out of the retail liquor business, given that 40 per cent of private liquor shops give more revenue than the government- owned shops. Kejriwal said the step to reform the excise policy of Delhi will act as a “major blow” to the liquor mafia. “The mafia will do everything to obstruct these ref o rms . T h e AAP government has ended their raj in many sectors such as education, water, powe r and health,” the chief minister tweeted.
The excise department had last year formed an expert panel to change the excise policy of Delhi. The panel’s report was put out in public for suggestions. The government received around 14,00,700 suggestions, after which Kejriwal constituted a group of ministers to study the report of the expert committee, public suggestions and other factors, which was headed by Sisodia along with cabinet minister Satyendar Jain and law minister Kailash Gahlot.
To improve ease of doing business, the government has also decided to merge various licenses. “Massive changes as per industry feedback are being made to stop harassment of honest businessmen running hotels and restaurants in Delhi,” Sisodia said. “There have been demands from the hospitality sector to abolish various obsolete licence systems related to liquor sale.”