Liquor bottles at Rs 99 available in AP shops, says excise director

Excise director Nishant Kumar announced that a 180 ml quarter of liquor will be sold at Rs 99 at liquor shops across AP, as per the new liquor policy.

Speaking on Thursday, October 18, Kumar revealed that five major national liquor manufacturers and sellers are ready to supply this liquor at the specified price. On the same day, 10,000 cases of the Rs 99-per-quarter liquor were delivered to the market, with daily sales projected to rise to 20,000 cases by Monday.

Kumar estimated that by the end of October, approximately 2.40 lakh cases of this liquor would be available, translating to nearly 1.20 crore quarter bottles expected to hit the shelves throughout the month. He also indicated that the quantity of liquor available at retail outlets in November would be adjusted based on consumption trends observed in October.

158 liquor shops allotted in AP

The Andhra Pradesh government has received a total of 65,424 applications for liquor shops through a lottery system. The non-refundable application fee of Rs 2 lakh has generated Rs 1,308 crore for the state exchequer.

In Srikakulam district, liquor shops were allotted through a lucky draw on Monday, October 14 with 158 shops available from a pool of 4,671 applications. Notably, 40 percent of the applicants for liquor shops in AP were women, and 10 percent of the successful female applicants secured licenses for the shops.

AP cabinet approves new liquor policy

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s administration has approved a new liquor policy set to revive popular liquor brands and private-run IMFL retail outlets beginning October 1. This decision was made during a state cabinet meeting at Velagapudi on Wednesday, September 18.

The new liquor policy, crafted by a cabinet sub-committee led by excise and mining minister Kollu Ravindra, brings significant changes.

Key updates in the liquor policy include the introduction of UPI payments at liquor shops in AP and the creation of premium outlets in densely populated areas.