The West Bengal State Beverages Corporation, in a notice on Friday, mentioned that the e-commerce platform Amazon is one of the first to be eligible for online retail of liquor in the state after registration with authorities, Reuters reported.

BigBasket, Alibaba backed Indian ration delivery startup, has also secured approval to deliver spirits in West Bengal, the notice said.

West Bengal is India’s fourth most populous state, with a population of more than 90 million people.

Amazon has been invited to sign a memorandum of understanding with the state, said the notice, which has not previously been reported.

According to Drinks Market Analysis cited in the Reuters report, Amazon could use this opportunity to penetrate into a market that is worth $27.2 billion.

India remains to be one of the key markets for Amazon as it keeps on blooming in the country with a promise of further infusing $6.5 billion in India.

From groceries to electronics, Amazon is a one-stop platform that serves every need.

Swiggy and Zomato, India’s leading food delivery platforms, started delivering alcohol in some cities last month. The platforms aimed to cater to the rising demand of alcohol post the lockdown.

People queued in large numbers, maintaining no social distancing to buy liquor. This happened after India restricted liquor sales in March. The liquor industry had been lobbying with many states to allow online deliveries, Reuters report added.

West Bengal last month invited companies to express interest for “handling electronic ordering, purchase, sale and home delivery of alcoholic liquors from licensed retail outlets” to eligible legal-age consumers in the state.

comment COMMENT NOW