Punjab Cabinet approves excise policy for 2024-25; IFL rates to drop, no increase in country liquor prices

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, March 9

Prices of imported foreign liquor (IFL) will drop while there will be no increase in the rates of country liquor, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Saturday as the state Cabinet gave its nod to the excise policy for 2024-25.

The new excise policy is aimed at garnering revenue to the tune of Rs 10,145.95 crore from the sale of liquor.

A decision to this effect was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Cheema said the Cabinet has approved the new excise policy—the third such policy of the AAP Government.

“For the first time, more than Rs 10,000 crore will be generated from it,” he said.

To mobilise additional revenue and ensure enough availability of country liquor, the quota of country liquor (Punjab Medium Liquor or PML) in the financial year 2024-25 has been increased by 3 per cent, which is 8.286 crore proof litre, over the last year.

There will be no increase in the price of country liquor in 2024-25, Cheema said.

“Giving relief to the central police organisations, the licence fee of L-1 has been reduced from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25,000,” he said.

The minister said the prices of IFL will come down in 2024-25 due to the rationalisation of the fee structure.

The Labour Cartage and Transportation Policy for 2023-24 has also been extended till July 2024. The new policy will be brought in and approved then.

Finance Minister Cheema said the Council of Ministers has also given their go-ahead to set up two special courts to deal with Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)cases in Tarn Taran and Sangrur.

He said that 3,842 posts of employees in lower courts of the state have been regularised by the Cabinet.

“As many as 1,300 posts of doctors have also been created to provide quality healthcare to masses. They will be posted in Mohalla clinics and Primary Health Centres. These posts will be filled by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences,” he said.

For the builders, the Cabinet has given its go-ahead to a policy allowing them to pay EDC (External Development Charges) in three instalments, spread over 18 months.

The OTS policy for recovery of outstanding dues of VAT has also been extended. —with PTI inputs