Andhra Govt Earns ₹1,800 Crore from Applications for Retail Wine Shop Licenses

Andhra Pradesh has generated ₹1,800 crore through the sale of applications for retail wine shop licenses. Nearly 90,000 applications were received, with a lottery set to determine the operators. This marks a shift from government-controlled retail liquor sales to private dealers under a new excise policy.

The Andhra Pradesh government has generated a significant revenue of ₹1,800 crore through the sale of applications for the allotment of retail wine shop licenses. The massive response came after the state excise department invited applications under a new liquor policy that allows private dealers to operate wine shops.

According to officials, nearly 89,643 applications were received for 3,396 liquor shops, each carrying a non-refundable application fee of ₹2 lakh. The revenue may increase as additional applications are processed, with expectations that the total could cross ₹1,900 crore.

The application process opened on October 1 and was extended until October 11, with a lottery scheduled for October 15 to select the operators who can begin running the shops from October 16. Among the districts, NTR district received the most applications (5,787 for 113 shops), followed by West Godavari and Eluru. The lowest number of applications came from Alluri Seetharama Raju district.

This new policy replaces the previous system, where the YSR Congress government, led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, operated retail liquor sales through the AP State Beverages Corporation. As per the new policy, the government is withdrawing from retail liquor sales and transferring the business back to private dealers for a two-year period starting October 16, 2024.

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The total number of liquor shops allowed under the policy is 3,736, with 340 shops reserved for the toddy tapper community. Further guidelines for these reserved shops will be issued separately.