Bhopal: By issuing a new excise policy, the Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday attempted to end the monopoly of liquor contractors in the state. In accordance with the new policy, contracts for liquor sale will henceforth be given to four or five co-operatives across a district, rather than one or two.
As per information, the move was executed to increase competition and garner more revenue from liquor sales. Licenses, hereon, can be issued to run counters through fixed license rates in selected supermarkets in cities such as Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, and Gwalior.
Congress, meanwhile, opposed the move, saying it was a policy for the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to keep the public distracted and unaware of Madhya Pradesh's poor condition.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said, "the liquor policy by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is not really a policy, but a way to keep people intoxicated, so that the public does not know the truth and cannot question the government about the poor condition of the state".
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Nath made the comments while on his visit to Chhindwara to visit hailstone-affected villages.
Multiple new provisions have been availed under the new policy, including the sale of alcohol through counters in all airports of the state.
Microbreweries, on the other hand, will be hereon operated in Bhopal and Indore, but with no-objection certificates from relevant authorities.
