The Uttar Pradesh excise department has invited 239 applicants for composite liquor vends in the district for the next fiscal year with the new liquor policy poised to rest the retail business in the state, as per media reports. Composite shops which will merge both beer and IMFL shops have been invited to apply through the e-lottery system.
This UP govt has introduced composite shops for the first time in the liquor policy. Noida currently has 146 IMFL shops, 140 beer shops, 234 country liquor shops, 29 premium liquor vends and 27 model shops.
Model shops will remain as they are while country liquor shops have the option to upgrade to composite by adding a beer counter. After a six-year gap, fresh applications are now being accepted for the liquor business, allowing new players to enter the market. During the past six years, existing licenses were only renewed, but these licenses will expire on March 31.
Introduction of e-lottery system for the allocation of liquor
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved the Excise Policy for the financial year 2025-26, with several key changes including the introduction of e-lottery system for the allocation of liquor and 'Bhang' (cannabis) shops.
"For the first time in seven years, all country liquor shops, composite shops, model shops, and cannabis shops in the state will be allocated through an e-lottery system instead of the renewal process followed earlier," Excise Minister Nitin Agarwal told reporters on Thursday.
Agarwal said that under the new system, an applicant can submit only one application, and no individual will be allotted more than two shops across the state.
Processing fees divided into five slabs, check operating hours
The first category, the minister said, covers areas under the development authorities of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, and Kanpur, including a 3-kilometer radius around their municipal limits.
The processing fee for country liquor shops in these areas has been fixed at Rs 65,000, composite shops at Rs 90,000, model shops at Rs 1 lakh, and cannabis shops at Rs 25,000, the minister said.
The second category includes large cities not covered in the first category, along with a 3-km surrounding area.
Fees for country liquor shops here will be Rs 60,000, composite shops Rs 85,000, model shops Rs 90,000 and cannabis shops Rs 25,000, he said.
The third category covers municipal areas and their 3-km radius. Fees for country, composite, model and cannabis shops will be Rs 50,000, Rs 75,000 and Rs 80,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively.
The fourth category included Nagar Panchayat areas and their 3-km radius. Fees for country, composite, model and cannabis shops will be Rs 45,000, Rs 65,000 and Rs 70,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively.
The fifth category covers rural areas. Fees for country, composite, model and cannabis shops will be Rs 40,000, Rs 55,000 and Rs 60,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively, he said.
The government has retained the existing operating hours for liquor shops, which will remain open from 10 am to 10 pm -- a 12-hour limit that has been in place for several years, the minister said.
(With PTI inputs)