Karnataka Excise Department earns whopping Rs 45 cr on first day liquor stores open!

Bengaluru: The Government of Karnataka, on Monday, May 4, earned Rs 45 crores just from the sale of alcohol. Today happens to be the first day of the opening of liquor shops across the state, except the containment zones, ever since the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was imposed.

As per reports, the Excise Department said that around 3.9 lakh litres of beer and 8.5 lakh litres of Indian-made foreign liquor were sold on the first day.

The ban on the sale of alcohol had hit the revenue of the state governments across the country as a major part of the earnings are made from excise duties.

It can be recalled that the state excise department had urged the Karnataka Government to allow the sale of liquor so that the state exchequer can be recharged.

Across the country, long queues were witnessed outside liquor stores as customers from all walks of life lined up to make their purchases. In several places, it was seen that social distancing norms were not being followed. Some liquor stores in Delhi were also shut hours after they were opened as the guidelines were not being followed strictly.

While retail liquor outlets, Karnataka State Beverage Corporations Limited (KSBCL) and Mysore Sales International Ltd depots have been allowed to keep their doors open between 9 AM and 7 PM, bars and pubs are still barred from opening to avoid gatherings.

In the Dakshina Kannada district, it is reported that a total of 1,09,337 litres of liquor was sold today.

According to Shailaja Kote, deputy commissioner, excise, DK, as much as 65,751 litres of Indian made liquor and 43,586 litres of beer were sold on Monday.

Source: NewsKarnataka.com