The laws and policies pertaining to alcohol have been changing over the years. In recent times, there are some new policies regarding the sale of alcohol adopted by the Central Government. Here are more details about these policies.
What is The Shelf-in-Store Policy?
An important law among all is the one pertaining to the license to sell alcohol. In some states, a given alcohol vendor must have a license to sell any kind of alcohol. Mostly, liquor stores, bars, pubs, discos, and hotels are licensed to sell alcohol of any kind. But, recently a policy was passed under which local supermarkets and grocery shops would also be eligible to sell some kinds of alcoholic beverages in stores.
The sale of wine in supermarkets is implemented in states like Haryana and Goa. More states have been inclined towards implementing the same in the coming years. One of them is Maharashtra.
Maharashtra
In January 2022, the Government of Maharashtra allowed the sale of wine through supermarkets and grocery shops. They would require the FL (Fresh Liquor) license and AXC license which the government would avail them of. But there are a few terms and conditions that follow up with this policy.
- The first one is the size of the shop. The shops should be a minimum of 1000 sq ft to be eligible for the license.
- The temple and school distance norms will be followed when issuing the license to sell wine to supermarkets and shops.
- Moreover, these shops will have to pay an annual fee of INR 5,000 to the government. And if liquor sale is banned, the wine selling license will not be issued.
The Reasoning
The aim of taking a decision like this, according to the Maharashtra cabinet, was to increase the revenue generated by the sale of wine in the state. This would not only benefit the grape farmers but also be a greater market for wine.
It’s known that Maharashtra is the largest producer of wine, but the market is limited. To bring in a bigger market, and increase the overall revenue, opening wine for sale in supermarkets would be a good idea. Hereby, the consumers can buy wine directly from their local supermarket instead of going to a liquor or wine shop.
The Response
The wine industry was welcoming of this policy as they aim at increasing the present revenue of INR 1,000 crore annually to INR 5,000 crore annually by 2023. The ease of availability will increase the sale. This in turn will add value to the fruit farmers in the state.
On the other hand, social activists like Anna Hazare have been protesting these laws. He had shown his disagreement with this policy through letters he wrote, addressing the chief minister of Maharashtra. In these letters, he urged the CM to call back his decision but received no response.
The shelf-in-store policy has been quite polarizing, to say the least. What do you think of it?
Also read: 7 Best Fruit Wine Brands To Buy In India
