Delhi: Alcohol Revenue Up By Rs 780 Crore Despite No New Liquor Shop Opening Since August 2016, Says Deputy CM

Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister (Dy CM) Manish Sisodia apprised the Delhi Assembly on Friday (23 August) that no new liquor store has opened in the city since August 2016, reports Livemint.

Sisodia was responding to a question raised by fellow Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba. He also mentioned that even though no new stores have opened in the national capital, the revenue collection netted by the government from sales of alcohol had surged by Rs 780 crore since 2016-17.

"The income of the government from alcohol sale was Rs 4,244.50 crore in 2016-17. It has reached Rs 5,028.17 crore in 2018-19," said Sisodia.

Replying to a query about how many liquor shops were opened in the national capital between 2015 and 2019, Sisodia said,"133, however, no new shop was opened after August 2016".

The Deputy CM also added that since 2015 a total of 37 stores have been shut down. Giving an account of the number of stores active in the city, Sisodia apprised the Assembly that in 2014-15, the total number of liquor stores were 768 which surged to 862 in 2015-16 and 879 in 2016-17. In 2017-18, 866 liquor stores were there in Delhi but the figure fell to 863 in 2018-19.