UP’s new retail liquor trade yields Rs 1000 crore rise in April revenue

LUCKNOW: Switching to a new retail liquor trade structure has started yielding positive results, with the excise department generating Rs 1,000 crore more revenue in April compared to the same period last year.
The duty collected through the sale of beer, IMFL, and country liquor amounted to Rs 4,319 crore in April, compared to Rs 3,313 crore in the same period last year.
Officials said daily income through the sale of alcohol has increased since composite shops were introduced, catering to both patrons of IMFL and brew.
Excise minister Nitin Agarwal said: "The department is going to play an extremely crucial role in boosting the economy of the state as the money generated through excise duty is going to be used for public infrastructure, implementing development programmes, and funding social welfare schemes."
The department increased its year-on-year revenue in the first month of the 2025-26 financial year by 30%. Officials are confident of achieving the target set by the govt. From the annual revenue of Rs 52,575 crore achieved in the last financial year, the department has been asked to chase Rs 63,000 crore of revenue this time.
Excise commissioner Adarsh Singh said performance reviews are being held regularly to monitor the progress being made on various fronts.
"We have introduced a lot of new licence categories and created room for offering low alcoholic beverages at reduced licence fees. Many entry barriers have been relaxed or scrapped to improve the ease of doing business. All these measures are going to help us achieve increased revenue," said Singh.
Continuing with the crackdowns on illicit liquor trade last month, the department registered 9,768 cases against offenders for violating different sections of the excise rules while arresting 324 individuals. Thirteen motor vehicles involved in smuggling liquor into the state were also seized.