Good news for tipplers in Uttar Pradesh. Now they can buy liquor from credit and debit cards. The Yogi government has passed an order in this regard directing all liquor vendors to install POS machines in their shops.
The facility was available only a few model shops in major cities. The decision was taken to boost in the sale of liquor which has come down drastically resulting in Rs 5,000 revenue loss to the state exchequer following the Supreme Court order banning liquor shops on State and National Highway.
State Excise Minister Jai Pratap Singh said that to boost the sale, the state government has introduced cashless system at all liquor shops in the state. "Liquor vendors have been directed to install POS machines and provide cashless facilities to buyers," he said.
The minister, however, said that they are facing a little problem in implementing the cashless facility scheme in rural areas due to poor connectivity but the same would be done by this year-end.
The state has lost revenue to the tune of Rs 5,000 till date and over 3,000 liquor vendors have so far surrendered their licenses. The sale of liquor has nosedived drastically due to the apex court order.
The Excise Minister said the department had targeted to mop up Rs 19,000 revenue but only Rs 14,000 could be realized. The minister said a total of 8,591 liquor shops were closed due to the December 15, 2016 Supreme Court order. "Of total shops affected, only 3,500 could be relocated," he added.
Taking serious note of the National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB) report that liquor shops were mainly responsible for accident-related deaths on highways, the Supreme Court had passed an order on December 15, 2016 directing government to shift liquor shops 500 metres away from state and national highways. Later, the apex curt had amended its order reducing the distance to 220 metres.
He said the BJP was committed to disallow shops near schools, colleges, educational institutions and religious places as per the Supreme Court directive.
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