Excise Dept Eyes 25% Higher Turnover From Liquor This Dasara Season Over 2023

Hyderabad:The state excise department is aiming for a 25 per cent increase in liquor sales during the upcoming Dasara and Bathukamma festive season in October, compared to the corresponding period previous year. Last October, liquor sales reached ₹2,900 crore, but official sources said that the department is now targeting ₹3,625 crore in sales. Excise revenue remains a key financial source for the state government.

Dasara and Bathukamma, the biggest festivals in Telangana, witness heightened celebrations both in cities and rural areas, driving significant increases in liquor consumption.

Traditionally, people return to their native villages to celebrate these festivals in a grand style, further boosting demand for alcohol.

Last October, the state saw a modest four per cent rise in sales over 2022, reaching ₹2,900 crore, partly due to restrictions imposed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the run-up to the Assembly elections in November. However, this year, without any election-related restrictions, the excise department is pushing for a more substantial sales boost.

Liquor sales typically average ₹80 crore per day in Telangana. However, during the Dasara season, sales surge to nearly ₹300 crore per day, peaking a week before the festival. Last year, this pattern continued, with sales climbing to ₹2,900 crore for October 2023. In comparison, sales in previous Octobers’ were lower: ₹2,115 crore in October 2020; ₹2,500 crore in 2021, and ₹2,736 crore in 2022.

Meanwhile, the department has quietly raised sales targets across all districts for the upcoming Dasara season.

For instance, Karimnagar district, where the target for Dasara sales has been set at ₹165 crore, compared to ₹136 crore sales witnessed last year, which is 25 per cent higher over last year, official source said.

Similar enhanced targets have been fixed for all other districts. The department has reportedly issued oral instructions to officials and liquor shop dealers to meet these targets, avoiding written directives to prevent any sort of controversy or criticism from opposition parties and civil society organisations, which have historically condemned the government’s reliance on liquor sales for revenue.

The department usually clamps down on illegal liquor outlets (belt-shops) in rural areas during normal season but during the Dasara festive season, officials take a more lenient approach to ensure higher sales so as to meet the stipulated sales targets.