Madhya Pradesh plans affordable 90ml country liquor packs to help the poor

The Madhya Pradesh government's excise policy for 2021-22 aims to package country liquor in 90 millilitre bottles so that it becomes affordable to the poor who may skip costlier 180ml bottles and opt for cheaper and
possibly spurious liquor, officials said on Saturday.

The move to have country liquor in smaller bottles comes after 38 people died drinking illicit liquor in Ujjain and Morena in October and January, they added.

The policy, cleared by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in its cabinet meeting on Friday, however, has put on hold plans to sell liquor online, unlike neighbouring Chhattisgarh which recently became the 12th state where people can purchase alcohol in this mode.

"As per the new policy, liquor companies must pack 10 per cent of their production in 90ml bottles. Country liquor used to come in 180 ml packs, which some of the poor consumers may not have been able to afford and there was the risk of  them turning towards cheaper and possibly spurious liquor," an official explained.

"The 90 ml bottle may be more affordable as it will come at half the price of a quarter," he added.

The new excise policy will come into effect from June 1 and will be in force for just 10 months, the months of April and May having been "dry ones" due to the corona curfew in place, officials pointed out.

Under the new policy, licence fee of outlets has been hiked by 10 per cent to tide over excise losses brought about by the coronavirus-induced restrictions, they added.

"The closure of liquor outlets has affected business by some Rs 32 crore daily," MP Excise Commissioner Rajeev Dubey told PTI.

Corona curfew is in force in MP since April 20.