MP: Liquor bottles to have barcodes to track transportation

As part of the new liquor policy for fiscal 2020-21 announced by the Madhya Pradesh government

on Saturday, barcodes will be introduced on alcohol bottles to track its supply from factory to outlet, a state minister

said. The other highlight of the policy was the decision to

open 15 grape wine outlets in tourist places. "We are going to introduce barcodes on liquor bottles

as announced in the new excise policy for FY 2020-21. This would help the Excise department track liquor supply from the

factory to warehouses or depots and further to contractors as we will have records of each bottle," Minister for Excise

Brijendra Singh Rathore told PTI on Sunday. He said contractors will be given online transit

permits in order to track the consignment. Rathore denied news reports that the new excise policy

would allow doorstep delivery of alcohol through online platforms.

"The online system is only for mutual transactions between liquor contractors and the excise department. It

doesn't mean liquor would be sold online or delivered at the doorsteps of people. The online system will help the

department check illegal transportation of liquor," he said. In order to increase the income of grape farmers and

to promote its cultivation, 15 new outlets will be opened at tourist places, an MP government press release said.

It said, in order to increase revenue in the proposed excise system for fiscal 2020-21, 2544 country liquor shops

and 1061 foreign liquor shops will see a 25 percent increase in annual value over the previous year.

Sub-shops of country and foreign liquor will not be opened in the state in the year 2020-21, the release added.

Earlier, the state government had planned to open new sub-shops but the proposal didn't get the cabinet's approval.

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