People in Uttar Pradesh are gulping down liquor and beer worth ₹115 crore every day, reveals the latest data compiled by the Prayagraj-headquartered state excise department.
According to official records, almost every district in the state records liquor sales worth over ₹2.5- ₹3 crore each day.
This is a significant increase from only two years ago when the state residents consumed liquor and beer worth ₹85 crore per day.
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“There are several districts in the state where liquor and beer worth ₹12- ₹15 crore are being consumed in the span of a day,” said a senior excise department official.
According to statistics, in Prayagraj, liquor and beer worth ₹4.5 crore are sold in a day on an average.
The districts leading in terms of heavy sales include — Noida and Ghaziabad ( ₹13- ₹14 crore daily), Agra ( ₹12- ₹13 crore each day), Meerut (around ₹10 crore ever day), Lucknow ( ₹10- ₹12 crore in a day), Kanpur ( ₹8- ₹10 crore per day), and Varanasi ( ₹6- ₹8 crore each day).
“The consumption of liquor and beer has increased in almost all the districts of the state during the past 2-3 years. The share of country liquor amounts for 45% to 50% in the total revenue generated across the state,” the official added.
Speaking about the increase in sales in the past two-three years, Jitendra Kumar Singh, district excise officer, Prayagraj, said, “There are multiple factors resulting in the growth of revenue. These include higher social acceptability, improvement in standard of living among the consumers, and effective check on smuggling of liquor, among others. All this has had a positive impact on liquor sales.”
