Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has witnessed a substantial increase in excise revenue from liquor sales, with the total revenue reaching Rs 10,182.24 crore in the last financial year.
In response to Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan informed the State Assembly that the total excise revenue collected from the sale of liquor in Odisha was Rs 7,216.99 crore. The revenue includes Rs 2,965.25 crore from Value-Added Tax (VAT).
The data revealed that Bargarh district generated the highest excise revenue of Rs 124.99 crore, followed by Ganjam district with Rs 96.10 crore.
In terms of liquor sales, the state witnessed a significant increase in the sale of foreign liquor, with 5.88 crore litres sold in 2023-24, up from 5.83 crore litres in 2022-23. Domestic liquor sales also saw a rise, from 84.37 lakh litters in 2022-23 to 98.43 lakh litters in 2023-24.
The Excise Minister attributed the increase in revenue to the state government’s efforts to streamline the excise system and check illegal liquor trade.
