The Andhra Pradesh government has issued new bar licences with a validity till August 2025.
After an auction of 838 new bar licences with a three-year validity, the State Excise department has issued licences to 815 new bars across the State for a total amount of ₹597 crore.
The issue of new bar licences has attracted wide-spread criticism from the opposition parties as it goes against the election manifesto of the ruling YSRC Party, which promised the complete phase-out of liquor sales in the State except in star hotels.
The grant of licences for a three-year period has also come under a scanner as the term of the present government ends in May, 2024.
The State exchequer has earned an additional income of ₹308 crore in the current round of auctions compared to the previous one. The income from the auction of bar licences for the state government was ₹289 crore in 2021-22 while it was at ₹262 crore in 2020-21, as per government data.