Bhubaneswar, 27 March (H.S.): The Government of Odisha will conduct a lottery in April for the allotment of liquor shops across the state, with officials assuring that the entire process will be carried out in a transparent manner.

According to official sources, the lottery will be conducted in the presence of the respective District Collectors to ensure fairness and accountability. Authorities may also adopt an electronic lottery system, if required, to streamline the process and eliminate any possibility of irregularities.

The tenure of liquor shop owners who had secured licences through the previous lottery system is set to expire on March 31. However, the government has decided to grant them a two-month extension to ensure a smooth transition until the new allotments are finalised.

In a related development, hotels with a three-star rating and above that have bar facilities will be granted on-shop (bar) permissions under the upcoming excise policy. At the same time, the government has clarified that no new liquor shops will be opened.

Officials further informed that the number of existing off-shop liquor outlets will remain unchanged, and the Minimum Guaranteed Excise Revenue (MGER) will be fixed accordingly.

Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the five-year licences for off shops and CL shops will end on March 31, after which arrangements will be made to conduct the lottery in April. He added that the government will make every effort to ensure the process remains transparent.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda