The Uttarakhand cabinet approved a new excise policy restricting sales in the nine hill districts of the state to six hours a day, from 12 noon to 6pm, even as it set a new revenue target of Rs 2,310 crore for 2017-18, a sharp jump from last year’s collection of Rs 1,905 crore. The new laws would be implemented starting June 1.
The plain districts of Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Haridwar would enjoy a 12-hour opening unlike shops in the hill districts of Champavat, Almora, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Chamoli and Uttarkashi. The government has also set different revenue targets for the different districts and the district magistrates would be required to sanction shops accordingly.
Apart from the restrictions, application charges for license to sell IMFL has been raised from Rs 22,000 to Rs 25,000. Norms for license allotment remains unchanged though. A 2% cess would also be charged on the MRP. “1% of the cess money would be used for road safety projects and the remaining for social security..
The new policy has also granted permission to Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) to open bars in their guest houses. GMVN and KMVN would be given a 50% rebate in application charges.