The Delhi government on Monday marginally hiked the prices of Delhi Medium Liquor and Economy Liquor as part of the new excise policy for  2013-14.

The cabinet also gave approval for setting up of dialysis centres in six Delhi government’s major hospitals.

While briefing the media, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the new policy would focus on better availability of quality liquor. There is no change in license fee for grant of license in Form-L-1 and L-1F, hotels, clubs, restaurants and retail vendor of liquor.  The policy offers an option to restaurants to deposit the license fee in two equal installments.

“The rates of Delhi Medium Liquor have been increased from Rs 90 to Rs 100 per quarter while the price of Economy Liquor has been hiked from Rs 120 to Rs 130 per quarter,” said Dikshit.

As per the new policy, the ex-distillery price on non-free pricing brands (Rs 350 and below in case of whisky and wine) have been increased by about five per cent. The transportation cost of liquor has also been increased from Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 per case while the freight charges has been increased to Rs 300 per consignment of 600 cases. The hike in rates would come into force after issue of a notification to this effect.

Better healthcare

Dikshit said her government has always been striving hard to provide better healthcare facilities to all and in fulfilling its earlier assurance to provide free dialysis procedure for the poor has given its nod to a proposal to set up a state-of-the-art dialysis centres.

“The government has decided to install 120 dialysis machines which would provide free of cost dialysis and allied procedures to the poor and identified categories of patients as per the policy of the Delhi government. The other patients have to pay nominal fee,” said Dikshit.

The machines would be installed at Rajiv Gandhi Super-specialty Hospital, Tahirpur,  Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan, Janakpuri Super-specialty Hospital and Bhagwan Mahaveer Hospital, Pitampura, and Lok Nayak Hospital and Pt Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, Malviya Nagar.