Under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Administrative Council (AC) on Monday approved the sale of beer and other Ready-to-Drink (RTD) beverages at departmental stores in Jammu and Kashmir’s urban areas.
The meeting was attended by Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, the advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, and Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, the chief secretary, J&K.
In order to grant License JKEL-2A to sell beer and RTD beverages in departmental stores of the UT’s urban areas, the AC okayed the incorporation of liberal provisions in Jammu and Kashmir Liquor License and Sale Rules, 1984 and Excise Policy, 2023-24.
Under this scheme, the departmental stores within a commercial complex that are approved by the competent authority and have a carpet area of at least 1,200 square feet and an annual turnover of at least Rs 5 crores in Jammu and Srinagar, and at least Rs 2 crores in other urban areas, will be eligible.
Additionally, chains of department stores with an annual turnover of over Rs 10 crores will be eligible to apply for separate licenses for each store.
At the time of application, the departmental store should have been in existence for at least 12 months. The condition will not apply to new/recently-opened departmental stores belonging to a chain of departmental stores with an annual turnover of over Rs 10 crores.
A departmental store must also sell a minimum of six of these category of items: grocery items, frozen foods, confectionery/bakery items, toiletries, cosmetics, household goods, utensils/kitchenware, sports items, electrical/electronic appliances, apparel, and stationery. According to the decision, departmental stores operating at petrol pumps will not be considered for the license.
The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation was also granted permission to sell beer and RTD beverages in unserved/underserved areas following consultation with the concerned deputy commissioner.