‘Bigger, premium liquor shops’: Draft proposal for Delhi govt’s new excise policy in final stages

To formulate a “transparent and socially secure” excise policy, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, a few months ago, formed a ministerial committee, headed by PWD minister Parvesh Sahib Singh.

Other Cabinet ministers and senior officials from the excise department are also members of this committee.

“After multiple meetings and discussions, the Excise department and the committee have recommended developing premium liquor shops by increasing the size of the standard liquor shops to make it spacious and provide a better walk-in experience,” said sources.

A senior official from the Excise department said, currently, the standard size of a government liquor shop in Delhi is 300 sq ft. “Under the new policy, the government is planning to push the size of the shops between 500 sq ft and 1000 sq ft. Corporations have already started looking for space for bigger and premium shops,” said the official.

Four liquor shops have already moved their proposal to open more shops under their jurisdiction. “About 100 more liquor shops, mostly premium, are going to open in the city,” said another official.

Sources also said that entry of private liquor shops is “unlikely”.

“Final discussion on this will be taken in the upcoming meeting, but the government currently wants to upgrade the government liquor shops at par with private shops…There are also plans to raise the fixed retail margin, so that people get all imported brands here in Delhi only,” said one of the sources.

Due to the fixed retail margin on premium brands, the corporations in Delhi do not keep imported brands that cost above Rs 2,000-3,000. Thus, Delhiites go to Gurgaon, which has no fixed retail margin on per bottle basis or on wholesale cap.

“If we rationalise these margins, revenue will go up,” said an official.

Currently, the retail margin cap per bottle is fixed at Rs 50 on Indian Made Foreign Liquor and Rs 100 on foreign liquor.
Sources said there are also recommendations to open premium vends in malls and shopping complexes for better consumer experience. “Currently, people, especially women, hesitate to go to a liquor shop. The shops are small with tiny windows and people often have to stand in a queue. If we upgrade the standards of the shops, the revenue will get a boost,” said officials.

“Currently, branding of shops is also not allowed in Delhi and some popular liquor brands are banned here. If these companies are allowed to resume their business in the city and the corporations allowed to do branding of shops, not only will the revenue increase, but people will get to choose from a variety of liquor brands,” explained an official.

Currently, there are 716 liquor shops in Delhi, which are run by government corporations — Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC), and Delhi Consumers’ Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS).

The present excise policy, which has been extended multiple times, is valid up to March 31, 2026.