Delhi's liquor policy: What does it mean for sellers?

In its new excise policy, the Delhi government announced a slew of new measures and laws focused on the sale and consumption of liquor in the union territory. One of the major announcements was lowering the minimum age for alcohol consumption from 25 years to 21 years.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia announced a crackdown on illegal liquor shops and the 'liquor mafia'. He went on to say that no new shops for liquor sale will be opened in Delhi and the government will shut all the state-run liquor shops. At present, 475 of the 850 liquor establishments are managed by state-run agencies.

This is one of Delhi government's biggest sources of revenue. According to the government, state-run vends were indulging in "brand pushing" and there were also instances of revenue leakage.

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

What does this new policy mean for liquor shops? Here are the rules:

The new rules for liquor shops are focused on the size and location of the stores in the national capital.

Liquor shops will be allowed to open only if their shop covers a space of 500 sq ft. The windows of the establishments cannot face the road.

Persons aged less than 21 cannot enter bars and restaurants for liquor.

The shop owner will be held responsible for the discipline in their shop. The onus is also upon them to prevent public drinking outside their shops.

Another major change in the policy is regarding the vend allocation system. The government did away with the policy of auto-renewal of vendors' licenses.

Bars and pubs can now remain open till 3 am.