Assam Cabinet approves online sale, home delivery of liquor in Guwahati on trial basis

After Delhi, the Assam government is all set to allow the online sale, purchase, and home delivery of liquor in Guwahati on a trial basis. The Assam Cabinet decided to allow online sale and purchase and home delivery of liquor within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation area as an experiment for a month.

The main reason behind this is to avoid crowding outside liquor outlets in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

Assam Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika said the state cabinet has decided to start the online sale of liquor within the area of GMC for a month as an experiment.

"The Assam cabinet has taken the decision to sell liquor online] on a trial basis to avoid crowding outside liquor shops during the non-curfew hours. We have taken the decision on the basis of the directives of the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court," Pijush Hazarika said.

However, it is not yet clear as of now how much liquor an individual person can order and also how the state government will deal with the identification of a person's age who is ordering online.

Assam is the second State in the northeast after Meghalaya to approve home delivery of liquor after adding a clause in the Meghalaya Excise Rules.

The Supreme Court had in 2020 left it to the States to consider online sales and home delivery of liquor during the COVID-19 lockdown period to facilitate physical distancing.