Punjab Cabinet eases curbs on liquor vends, country quota increased
The North News
Chandigarh, February 27
The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has approved the state’s excise policy for 2025-26, setting a revenue target of ₹11,020 crore—an 8.61% increase over the previous year. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting at Mann’s official residence.
A government spokesperson said Punjab has already collected ₹10,200 crore under the 2024-25 excise policy, surpassing its ₹10,145 crore target. Excise revenue has risen significantly under the current administration, exceeding ₹10,000 crore for the first time. In contrast, collections stood at ₹4,405 crore in the final year of the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance and ₹6,254 crore in the last year of Congress rule.
The new policy mandates fresh allocation of liquor vends via e-tendering, with a group size of ₹40 crore. The quota for Punjab Medium Liquor has been raised by 3% to 8.534 crore proof litres, but country liquor rates remain unchanged. The wholesale license fee for defence forces has been halved to ₹2.5 lakh.
Tourism-related measures include increasing the possession limit for farm stay licensees from 12 to 36 quarts of Indian Made Foreign Liquor. Standalone beer shop fees have been cut from ₹2 lakh to ₹25,000, and new bottling plants will be permitted in Punjab. A 50% hike in the Cow Welfare Fee is expected to boost collections from ₹16 crore to ₹24 crore.
To strengthen enforcement, the government plans to establish excise police stations. Meanwhile, a new system will allow automatic approval of liquor brands with unchanged Ex-Distillery Prices through the e-Abkari portal.
