Madhya Pradesh: State to give licence for Wine Mahotsav, to open retail outlets

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government may have tried to check sale of liquor by closing Ahatas, but it is preparing to boost the vending of wine.

The aim to increase sale of wine is to give better prices to the farmers. But as wine is also an intoxicant, it may give a jerk to the government’s policy to check drinking habits.

Opening of retail outlets to sale wine may be given under the new excise policy. To open such wine outlets, a contractor has to pay a yearly licence fee of Rs 10,000.

Permission for opening retail outlets to sell wine in places of tourism will be given under the policy.

Apart from that, the municipal corporation will be given auction licence for two days to hold wine Mahotsav.  Its licence fee will be Rs 1,000 a day.

Other than grapes and Jamun (Indian black berry), the government will allow wine manufacturers to use other crops. Wine has been exempted from excise tax from 2025 to 2026.

The government said the aim of the provisions for wine was to benefit the farmers, but politics on the issue may begin in the coming days.

CM, Nath come face to face over Madira Pradesh

Former chief minister Kamal Nath’s comments that the government is turning Madhya Pradesh into Madira Pradesh have generated lot of heat in state politics. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan got angry about the statement. He said that Nath offended the state by calling it “Madira Pradesh.”

Chouhan further said Nath had no attachment to the soil of Madhya Pradesh and its culture.

Nath’s statement is an offence to the people of the state, Chouhan said, adding Nath had made excise policy to encourage liquor consumption and allowed opening of sub-outlets to sell liquor.

Apart from that, Nath eased the licence rules, allowed setting up separate shops for women and made provisions for online sale of liquor, Chouhan said, adding that the Congress made liquor policy for contractors.

Reacting to Chouhan’s statement, Nath said it was Chouhan who had given the name “Madira Pradesh.”

By allowing shops to sell both Indian and foreign-made liquors, the government doubled the number of outlets, so Chouhan should tender an apology to the people of the state, Nath said.