Revenue from foreign liquor sales increases in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Dec 7: The excise revenue in Odisha reached Rs 7,216.99 crore for the financial year 2023-24, reflecting a steady increase in liquor sales. This update was provided by Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan during a session in the state Assembly on Saturday, in response to a question posed by Congress MLA Sofia Firdous.

According to the data shared by the Minister, the excise revenue marked a significant rise compared to the previous year, when it stood at Rs 6,455 crore. Notably, sales of foreign liquor surged by 5.41 lakh liters during this period.

Bargarh district emerged as the top contributor, generating Rs 124.99 crore in excise revenue, followed by Ganjam, which collected Rs 96.10 crore. Over the past decade, the total excise revenue amassed by the state amounts to Rs 38,364.24 crore.

In response to another inquiry from Khurda MLA Prasanta Kumar Jagadev, the Minister reported that Odisha has 1,073 liquor-off shops and 762 liquor-on shops. Among the latter, 509 are licensed bars, 179 are country liquor shops, and 482 are Out Still liquor establishments.