In a bid to reduce the loss in excise revenue due to spurious liquor, the state government is planning to introduce holograms equipped with a track-and-trace facility. The polyester-based hologram sticker will have to be fixed onto bottles by manufacturers of both Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country spirits. The stickers will bear a barcode which can be read by a specifically designed mobile app to register the bottle as authentic.
While Revenue Minister Eknath Shinde asserted that the move was to increase revenue from liquor sales by an estimated Rs 3,000 crore from the current Rs 18,000 crore per year, the upshot is the consumer will be further protected from fake liquor.
The decision taken by the state cabinet on Monday does not require the government to print the stickers, and a tender will be floated for the same soon, officials said. “We are creating 16 posts in the excise department to regulate the production of these stickers,” Mr Khadse said.
He added that the state is losing revenue to contraband liquor, with reports pointing to several brands selling more than what was actually being produced. When the barcode is scanned, the mobile screen will display details of its manufacture, purity and authenticity. “If everything matches, a green tick will appear,” he said, adding wholesalers who bring in liquor manufactured outside Maharashtra will be responsible for getting the sticker affixed by the distiller. Bottles found without this sticker will be considered illicit.
Mr Khadse said the government isn’t promoting consumption of alcohol, but doesn’t want to lose revenue from its sale. After assuming power, the BJP-led state government had declared two districts in Vidarbha as dry.
