# India

UP govt allots 25,677 liquor shops through lottery

Under the new excise policy, a composite shop has been allotted for the first time when Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and Beer would be sold from the same outlet.

Statesman News Service | Lucknow | March 7, 2025 4:26 pm

UP govt allots 25,677 liquor shops through lottery

With the change in system from next fiscal, the Uttar Pradesh government has allotted 25,677 liquor shops in the first phase through lottery.

Under the new excise policy, a composite shop has been allotted for the first time when Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and Beer would be sold from the same outlet. Besides, an applicant can be allotted just 2 shops and not more.

UP Excise Minister Nitin Aggarwal said here on Friday that the first phase of e -lottery for the license of liquor and cannabis shops in the state was completed on Thursday.

According to the Excise Department, online applications were sought for the allocation of liquor shops. After this, shops were allotted through e-lottery.

According to officials, a total of 25,677 liquor (more than 90 per cent) shops and model shops have been allotted during this period. It includes 15,906 shops of country liquor, 9341 composite shops, 430 model shops and 1317 cannabis shops. For the first time composite shops have been allotted under the new excise policy.

In Lucknow alone, 543 country liquor shops, 400 composite shops, 56 model shops and 42 cannabis shops were allotted in the e-lottery.

Officials said with the allocation of these shops, the state government will get a licence fee of Rs 4,278.80 crore. However 146 country liquor shops, 21 composite shops, 142 cannabis shops and five model shops will be allotted in the second phase.

UP Excise Minister Nitin Aggarwal claimed that the process of allocation of liquor shops in the state has been completed in a transparent and fair manner. The state government has adopted the online system for allocation of liquor shops, so that transparency and fairness can be ensured, he added.

This fiscal, the UP government is set to collect a revenue of over Rs 43,000 crores from liquor sale in UP. In the coming financial year the target collection has been fixed at Rs 50,000 crore.