Liquor shops may remain opentill 10pm, retail prices set to rise

Jaipur: The Rajasthan govt has amended ‘The Rajasthan Excise and Temperance Policy 2025–29', paving the way for extended operating hours for liquor shops across the state. The amendments have been approved by finance secretary (revenue) Kumar Pal Gautam.Under the revised provisions, the excise commissioner has been authorised to extend shop timings, with liquor outlets likely to be permitted to operate until 10pm.Partial revisions have also been carried out in excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL)and beer. According to a source, liquor prices are expected to rise. Retail rates of country liquor and Rajasthan Made Liquor (RML) have also been revised, including changes in minimum and maximum prices for 180ml packs across packaging formats."The amendments for the 2026–27 excise year aim to boost competitiveness and encourage capital investment without increasing liquor volume, in line with the state's temperance policy," a senior excise official said.The revised policy includes relaxation for hotel, restaurant and club bar operators to set up microbreweries, along with a 50% exemption in excise duty for the first two months of operation.An official said licence fees for heritage hotel bars have been fixed at Rs 3 lakh for properties with up to 10 rooms, Rs 4 lakh for 11–25 rooms, and Rs 5 lakh for hotels with more than 25 rooms. These provisions will apply in major tourism centres, including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mount Abu, Abu Road, Pushkar, Sariska, Bhiwadi, the Ranakpur Temple area, Ranthambore, Jaisalmer and Kumbhalgarh. Licence fees will be Rs 1 lakh lower in other divisions and district headquarters.The policy also prescribes an occasional licence fee of Rs 40,000 for registered commercial premises, with a penalty of Rs 50,000 for violations, and authorises the excise commissioner to decide on permitting Bottled in Origin (BIO) in restaurant bars.Revisions have been made to ex-distillery price (EDP) and ex-brewery price (EBP), along with amendments to maximum retail price. Environment-friendly aseptic brick packaging has been introduced, and concessional excise duty provisions have been made for liquor supplied to Indian Army canteens.The application fee for renewal of liquor shops has been increased. Shops with an annual value of up to Rs 2 crore will now pay Rs 60,000, while those above Rs 2 crore will pay Rs 1.20 lakh, compared to Rs 1 lakh earlier.Officials clarified that the policy does not permit any increase in liquor volume. Despite higher duty and EDP, the 12.5% increase in the guarantee amount for 2026–27 is viewed as reasonable, with the excise department expecting renewal of nearly 90% of liquor shops."We welcome the move as increasing shop timings has been our long-pending demand. However, we had sought renewal at a 10% increase. The 12% hike in the guarantee amount will certainly add to the financial burden on licensees," said the president of the Rajasthan Liquor Welfare Association.