Kerala beverages corporation pushes for online liquor sale in state despite government opposition

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 10 The Kerala State Beverages (Marketing & Manufacturing) Corporation Limited (BEVCO) has renewed its proposal for home delivery of liquor through online sales, despite the state government's repeated refusal to amend the Abkari Act to enable such a move.

The proposal, submitted to the Excise Department by BEVCO Managing Director Harshita Attaluri was based on an offer from food and grocery delivery platform Swiggy to deliver liquor to customers' doorsteps.

Attaluri said that if the state government approves the proposal, a tender process will be initiated and the lowest bidder will be awarded the contract.

Customers aged 23 and above would be eligible to place orders, with mandatory ID verification to confirm age, and all products available at BEVCO outlets would also be offered online.

The BEVCO Managing Director said that the primary reason for the proposal is to reduce crowding in front of liquor outlets, which is a common sight in Kerala and often causes traffic congestion.

She noted that while Tamil Nadu operates around 4,700 liquor shops, Kerala has only 283 outlets, leading to long queues.

The introduction of online sales, she said, could divert a significant portion of customers to the platform, easing congestion at physical stores.

The corporation also hopes that home delivery will boost sales revenue.

BEVCO's revenue in 2024–25 was Rs 19,700 crore, up from Rs 19,050 crore the previous fiscal.

Attaluri expressed confidence that online sales could lead to phenomenal growth in these figures.

However, Excise Department officials have said that the proposal faces legal challenges.

Liquor sales in Kerala are regulated by the Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953, and introducing online sales would require amendments to the Abkari Act along with new rules, all of which must be approved by the state government.

The officials confirmed that a similar proposal had been considered and rejected earlier.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kerala had temporarily allowed online liquor sales through a virtual queue system, supported by a dedicated mobile application.

BEVCO currently manages the sale and distribution of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, beer, wine, Foreign Made Foreign Liquor and Foreign Made Wine in Kerala, operating 26 warehouses and 283 retail outlets, of which 155 have self-service or premium counters.

Liquor sales remain a major source of tax revenue for the state, with collections rising from Rs 8,778.29 crore in 2016–17 to Rs 15,170.82 crore in 2023–24.

Despite BEVCO's persistence, the state government's opposition to amending the Abkari Act leaves the future of online liquor sales in Kerala uncertain.

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