Noida and Ghaziabad raise Rs 553 crore from licenses

Noida and Ghaziabad's excise departments raised Rs 553.4 crore from liquor license fees through an e-lottery on March 6. This marks a 200% increase from Rs 185.2 crore in 2018-19. Noida received 18,229 applications for 501 liquor shops, generating Rs 306.2 crore. Ghaziabad had 12,042 applications for 463 shops, totaling Rs 247.2 crore. A new policy allows composite liquor shops in Noida to sell both Indian Made Foreign Liquor and beer. Increased applications and higher fees contributed to the revenue rise. The new shops will open on April 1.