The Delhi government today extended the old excise policy by six months. Government officials have been instructed to prepare a new policy soon.
There will be five dry days in these six months - Mahavir Jayanti, Good Friday, Buddha Purnima, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Zuha.
The Delhi government scrapped its 2021-22 Excise Policy on August 31 last year following allegations of irregularities and favouritism in granting liquor licences to private shop owners.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy, leading to the recent arrest of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Under the 2021-22 liquor policy, licences of 849 liquor vends were issued through open bidding to private firms. Delhi was divided into 32 zones with each zone hosting a maximum of 27 vends. Bidding was done zone-wise with each bider allowed to bid for a maximum of two zones.
Earlier, four government corporations ran 475 liquor stores out of a total of 864 stores in the city.
Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposed th new policy on "moral" and "ethical" grounds.
The policy was later scrapped and following Mr Sisodia's arrest, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) booked him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The policy was approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the second wave of COVID-19. Mr Kejriwal's government claimed that the policy was formulated to ensure optimum revenue.
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