HYDERABAD: For the first time, the Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department is set to reserve licenses for the operation of liquor outlets for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.According to sources, proposals have been sent to the government seeking permission for providing reservations to applicants under the SC category in the State.
“The existing liquor shop permissions are coming to an end in October. The new guidelines are being prepared by the senior officials for issuing the notification soon. During the notification, the government will encourage the SC community people in setting up liquor shops across the State by giving reservations to the SCs,” officials said.
To implement the new initiative, the officials have to frame proper rules and regulations. For instance, the officials would identify locations to set up liquor shops and allocate to members of the SC community based on the reservations. “We have to take a decision on how much reservations will be applicable for SCs. Based on the decision, some liquor shops will be allocated to SCs by accepting applications and the fee from them,” officials said.
A nominal fee will be collected to apply for the license. In general, the Department collects Rs 2 lakh as application fee, which is non-refundable. Following the the application fee, the government used to get hundreds of crores of revenue by selling applications.
Along with the Aadhaar card, PAN card, a fresh caste certificate issued by the mandal tahsildar will have to be submitted. “A full-fledged framework will be prepared for inviting applications. By the end of September, the guidelines will be ready,” officials said.