Delhi lowers legal age of drinking to 21 from 25; no new liquor shops in the capital

According to the new policy, no new liquor shops will be opened in Delhi and the government will not run any vend

Accepting demands from various quarters, the Delhi government on Monday announced that the minimum age for consumption of liquor in Delhi has been reduced to 21 years from 25 years.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also announced that no new liquor shops will be opened in Delhi and the government will not run any vend from now on, saying that it is not the job of the government to sell liquor.

However, the decision attracted criticism from Congress, which said that the decision to lower the drinking age from 25 to 21 and to privatise all liquor vends will lead to Delhi earning the sobriquet of 'Nashe Ki Rajdhani' (Capital of Intoxication).

Soon after Sisodia's announcement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "excise reforms announced today will act as a major blow to the liquor mafia in Delhi. The mafia will do everything to obstruct these reforms. AAP govt has ended mafia raj in many sectors like education, water, elect, health etc. We are committed to reforming this sector too."

Announcing the new policy, Sisodia said that the new excise policy was approved by the Delhi Cabinet today on basis of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers.

After 2016, he said, the Delhi government has not allowed any new liquor shop in Delhi. "There are around more than 60% of liquor shops that come under the state government. We have also noted that 40% of private liquor shops give more revenue than state government-owned shops. So we have decided that the government will get out of the liquor retail business," he said.

At present, he said, 60% of liquor shops in Delhi are run by the government. He also said the government will ensure equitable distribution of liquor shops so that liquor mafia are thrown out of the trade.

Revenue growth of 20% per cent is estimated after the reforms in the excise department, Sisodia added.

On reducing the age limit, he said it will help stop harassment of people and establishments.

"Consumption age will be the same as majority states at 21 like Noida of Uttar Pradesh. New rules to be introduced to make sure that people who are under the age of 21 cannot get access to the establishment that serves liquor without supervision," he said.

The age of consuming alcohol is 21 years in UP, MP, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa and Tamil Nadu while in Goa and Andhra Pradesh it is 18.

He said there are some areas of Delhi where liquor is overserved and there are some areas of Delhi where liquor is underserved or unserved. "Delhi has 272 wards out of which there are 79 wards with zero liquor shops. Around 45 wards have just one shop. Around 58% of Delhi is either unserved or underserved," he said.

"Based on liquor sale distribution only 8% area of Delhi is normally served. There are around 37 wards where more than three liquor shops are present. On the other hand, there are 54 wards in Delhi where liquor is over-served some of these wards have more than 10 shops. This means in 20% of Delhi, liquor is over-served. Fifty per cent of liquor shops are present in just 45 wards," he added.

In a statement, Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar said the move to privatise liquor vends will also open the doors for spurious liquor.

He said the government's bid to mop up 20% more revenue from liquor sales, from -- Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 7,500 crore -- will be a "retrograde step".

"Instead of tightening the liquor policy to make the capital safer for women, and keep the youth away from substance abuse, the new excise policy will only bring ruin to the national capital, for the sake of a few crores more from excise revenue," Kumar added.