Chandigarh, February 27, 2025 – The Punjab cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has approved the excise policy for 2025-26, aiming to boost revenue by ₹800 crore over the previous year. The government has set a target of ₹11,020 crore in excise duty collection for the upcoming fiscal year, Finance Minister Harpal Cheema announced.
Key Highlights of the Excise Policy
Return to E-Tendering for Liquor Vends: The government is reverting to its 2022 policy of allotting liquor vends through e-tenders, ensuring transparency in the process.
Open Quota for IMFL Continues: The policy will maintain an open quota for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), allowing greater flexibility in distribution.
Increase in Country Liquor Quota: The quota for country-made liquor has been increased by 3%, reflecting growing demand.
New Bottling Plants Allowed: The state has permitted the establishment of new bottling plants to enhance production capacity.
Auction of Licensing Units: A total of 207 liquor licensing units will be auctioned.
Additional Cabinet Decisions
Apart from the excise policy, the cabinet also made key amendments regarding birth and death certificates. Doctors will now be required to specify both the date and reason for death on official documents. Additionally, the NRI Commission’s report was tabled before the cabinet for review.
With this new policy, the Punjab government hopes to increase transparency and efficiency in liquor trade while boosting state revenue.
