Assam generates a daily revenue of Rs 10 crore from excise. The term ‘bulk’ litre refers to the actual volume of a liquid, while a ‘standard’ litre is the volume of the liquid at standard temperature and density. Assam sells more than 5.30 lakh bulk litres (BL) of liquor daily, resulting in over Rs 10 crore in daily excise revenue, according to Excise Minister Parimal Suklabaidya’s statement in the Assembly on September 13.
Congress MLA Sibamoni Bora asked a question to which Suklabaidya responded that the average daily sale of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is 3,06,772.577 BL. The daily sale of beer is approximately 1,66,589.883 BL and for country spirits, it is 57,818.365 BL.
Based on last year’s data, the average daily revenue from excise was Rs 10.85 crore. The minister also mentioned that the state has issued licenses for 1,684 wine shops and 896 bars.
New licenses are granted in urban areas based on need and in areas near inter-state borders to curb liquor smuggling. In rural areas, only bar-cum-restaurants in tourist resorts are allowed to have licenses for wine shops or bars at present, added Suklabaidya.
In response to another question by Congress’ Jakir Hussain Sikdar, the minister revealed that the state has 486 country spirit shops. He also stated that the state has earned Rs 1,718.75 crore in excise revenue until August this fiscal year.