Delhi New Excise Policy: There is big news for beer drinkers in Delhi. Under the new excise policy being made in the capital, a plan is being made to reduce the legal age for drinking beer from 25 years to 21 years. However, the proposal to reduce the age will apply only to beer. There will be no change in the legal age for whiskey, rum, and other products.

In the meeting of the new excise policy Delhi government, it has also come to light that the minimum age for drinking alcohol in neighboring states like Haryana and UP is 21 years. Due to this, people below 25 years of age turn to the cities of NCR, causing a loss of revenue to the Delhi government. For this reason, reducing the age of beer is being considered.

Shops will be reduced in residential areas.

Under the new excise policy, the number of liquor shops in residential areas can be reduced. Instead, it is being considered to shift them to malls, big shopping centers, and commercial centers. This will reduce the problems faced by people living in residential areas. Apart from this, the government is also considering giving licenses to private players under the new policy. This means that the government will also include private shops in liquor sales and adopt a hybrid model. At present, only four government corporations are running liquor shops in Delhi.

What was the previous excise policy?

In Delhi's previous excise policy 2021, there was a proposal to reduce the drinking age from 25 years to 21 years, but it was not implemented due to political controversy and legal hurdles. In the same new meeting, the operation of government and private shops has been considered under the hybrid model. Along with this, there is also a discussion on organizing the availability of premium national and international liquor brands.