Hry sees meagre revenue growth over reserve price

Excise dept earned ₹14,342 crore as bid money against reserve price of ₹14,321.15 crore amid decline in business sentiment

- Hitender Rao

Earning an excise revenue of ₹7,744.68 crore as licence fee from the allotment of 1,194 retail liquor zones for the 2025-26 financial year, the Haryana government will have to mop up additional receipts to accomplish its excise revenue target of ₹14,063.91 crore from the sale of liquor this fiscal.

The 2025-26 financial year for liquor business in Haryana will be for a period of nine months and 20 days from June 12, 2025 to March 31, 2026. All the 1,194 retail liquor zones comprising 2,388 vends of country liquor and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) have been allotted by way of e-tendering in 18 attempts by the excise department.

Data showed that a growth of less than a percent (0.14%) —in terms of difference between the reserved price fixed for allotment of vends and the actual bids received — was registered from the allotment of 1,194 retail liquor zones for 2025-27 years spread over 21 months and 20 days starting from June 12, 2025 to March 31, 2027. The excise department earned a revenue of ₹14,342 crore as licence fee against the reserve price of ₹14,321.15 crore, a meagre increase of ₹20.85 crore.