Jharkhand approves new Excise policy to boost revenue, number of retail shop to be increased to 1500

Ranchi: The Jharkhand government on Wednesday approved the new Excise Policy based on the recommendation of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The government has decided to rope in Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL) as the agency. Briefing the media, the secretary of the department Vinay Choubey said that four major changes have been brought that forms the new policy.

“We had sought the service of the CSMCL to carry out a study on how to make excise policy better so that Jharkhand increases its legal revenue and illegal liquor business is stopped. In the report, CSMCL said that the maximum warehouse means maximum chances of leakage. We currently have 75 warehouses for storage. Now, there will be only five warehouses only at the divisional level. These will be well equipped with advanced surveillance, tracking, and storage systems,” said Choubey.

He said that JSBCL will run the retail shops and the number of such shops will be 1500. “Earlier, we had introduced this system but there was a decline in the state revenue. We have revised everything. The study report has said that after the new policy the total revenue of Jharkhand excise will be Rs 3000 in the next three years which is only Rs 1800 crore currently,” he said.

He added that CSMCL has advised certain changes in the 1915 excise policy of Bihar that Jharkhand had incorporated. There will be stringent provisions against the illegal liquor trade.

The new policy will bring transparency to the pricing as the special hologram on bottles will carry all details from manufacturing to storage and price. Besides, a new policy for the bar will be made.

4 new policies of excise have been approved. Now there will be only 5 godowns of liquor in Jharkhand. The ownership of the godowns will be with JSBCL. There will be liquor warehouses at the divisional level itself. There will be a QR code on the bottle of liquor. It will be able to know where the liquor has been manufactured and from which warehouse the bottle has reached the shop. There will be a change in the revenue policy to prevent black marketing of liquor and loss of revenue. Let us inform that at present there are 75 liquor godowns in Jharkhand. Now there will be one godown in all the five divisions. There will be strict monitoring and security of the godowns. The manufacturing unit will also be track and trace. Changes in bar policy have also been approved. There will be a quota for the operators to lift liquor every time.

There are 75 godowns presently in the state. There will now be a godown at the divisional level. Now there will be only 5 godowns in the state. The ownership of the warehouse will be operated by 5 private operators with the government. There has been no change in the license fee under the Bar Policy.

The other important decision among the 72 proposals which were approved by the cabinet on Wednesday are as follows:

Government air base to be built at Ranchi airport at a cost of 84 crores.

Tender will be taken out for settlement of sand ghats and respective Deputy Commissioner have been permitted for carrying out tender.

Rs 333.97 crore loan to be given from NABARD for 22 rural water supply scheme

Government will provide compulsory and special books to all categories of students studying in class IX of government schools.

Every year special book (Dictionary: Bilingual, Atlas, General Knowledge and English Grammar) will be made available to all categories of students.

Four lane road will be built from Newari (Development), Booty More to Kokar Chowk, Kanta Toli via Namukam ROB at a cost of 16 crores which would lead to improving traffic bottlenecks in capital Ranchi.