Soon, buy liquor at malls, departmental stores in state’s urban circles

Ranchi: Soon, residents in urban local circles in the state will not have to queue outside traditional IMFL off-licences (off-shops) to buy liquor. Instead, they can now grab the bottles of their favourite liquor brands from their nearest malls and even the air-conditioned grocery stores which have come up in nooks and corners in the city and town areas. An off-licence is a liquor shop where the drinks are allowed to be consumed off the premises (shop) while on-licence are pubs and restaurants where customers can consume liquor on premises.
This followed the move by the state department of excise and prohibitions to allow the sale of IMFL at shopping malls and departmental stores in its new excise policy. A draft copy of the policy has been put up on its website as the department seeks suggestions or corrections from stakeholders and the common public.
The new policy also proposes to do away with the existing arrangement where the Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation (JSBCL) operates retail IMFL and country-made liquor stores statewide through hired manpower agencies. These retail off- and on-licence will now be run by private operators.
"The new policy is being introduced with an eye on increasing the state's revenue from excise. Once public consultations are over, measures will be taken to get the policy okayed by the state cabinet," excise secretary Manoj Kumar told TOI. "I cannot tell when this policy will be implemented as the processes take time," he added.
The excise department has set a target of fetching revenue of Rs 2,400 crore from liquor sales in the ongoing fiscal. Though Kumar did not furnish the actual revenue achieved until February this year, sources in the department claimed that actual revenue has been around Rs 1,950 crore, so far.
"In the 2025-26 FY, the target revenue is likely to be Rs 3,100 crore," a senior official told TOI, requesting anonymity.
The draft policy of the new excise policy reads, "IMFL stores can be opened in malls whose area is up to 50,000 square feet, excluding parking areas. Licences will be issued for one year and these stores will not sell IMFL brands whose MRPs are below Rs 2,000 per bottle." Likewise, departmental stores which have areas of up to 2,000 square feet will be able to sell IMFL brands valued above and below Rs 2,000, the policy has proposed. "In departmental stores, retail IMFL outlets could only be opened within 10% of its area (200 square feet) and the entry of persons aged below 21 years would be banned," it further reads.
Talking to TOI, the secretary of Jharkhand Rajya Khudhra Sharaab Vikreta Sangh, Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, said: "The department has invited objections till February 17. We have raised objections on five points and suggested that instead of separate outlets, country-made liquor should also be sold in the same off-licence. That apart, we have also suggested that private operators should get a profit margin of 20% instead of the existing 15% in off-licence," he added.