Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 5: The cash-strapped state government has decided to shore up its revenue by permitting 900 new Mysore Sales International Ltd (MSIL) shops known as CL 11-C in the state. With this move, it hopes to cover up the losses it has incurred due to lockdown.

On account of lockdown, sale of liquor was stopped. This alone inflicted a revenue loss of Rs 3,000 crore on the government as per an estimate. As financial activities have come to a standstill, and everyone is going through financial crisis, the government is not in a position to impose new taxes to fill its coffers. Therefore, the best bet it now has is to increase the number of liquor shops.

The current BJP government cannot be entirely blamed by the concerned for this decision. It is merely implementing an order issued by the then Congress government in the year 2016 to open 900 MSIL liquor shops all over the state. As that decision had come across stiff resistance and opposition from the public, the decision was kept in the back burner. Now the government, which is under compulsion to increase its revenue, has begun to start the process of opening liquor shops.

In all likelihood, 900 liquor shops might be opened at the rate of four in each assembly constituency in the state. The conditions accompanying this decision are to take steps to open franchise in the areas chosen for standalone liquor shops, giving preference to rural areas having high demand for liquor, and also opening of shops based on the necessity to effectively handle sale of illicit/illegal liquor.

When implementing the direction contained in the 2016 circular, the finance department, in its March 30 order, told the excise commissioner that the instruction about giving preference to the choice made by the legislator concerned about the location of the franchise should be dropped. In the past, obtaining of local MLA’s opinion before choosing the spot of the shop was a must.