Liquor sales, licence fees lift Telangana revenue to ₹6,348 crore in October
HYDERABAD: The Telangana excise department earned a record ₹6,348 crore in October, the highest-ever monthly revenue for the department.
Licence and application fees bring ₹3,180 crore
Officials said ₹3,180 crore came from application and licence fees under the new liquor policy. The government invited applications for 2,620 retail liquor shop licences for a two-year term. The application fee was raised from ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh this time.
While 1.32 lakh people had applied during the previous round, generating ₹2,645 crore, about 95,628 applicants competed this year, fetching ₹2,868.8 crore in fees. In addition, licensees selected through lottery paid one-sixth of the licence fee in advance, adding another ₹313 crore to the treasury.
Festivals boost sales to record ₹3,168 crore
With several festivals and jatras during the month, liquor sales reached ₹3,168 crore up from ₹2,987 crore in October last year. The total October revenue thus crossed ₹6,348 crore.
Officials said the unprecedented income had surprised even the department. Liquor suppliers and contractors expressed hope that pending bills would now be cleared. The windfall has provided some relief to the state exchequer.
