Andhra Cabinet clears new excise policy; liquor priced at ₹99
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved a new excise policy, set to take effect from October 1. Under this policy, the state government has capped the price of affordable liquor at ₹99 for 180 ml. The cabinet meeting was led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who emphasized the need for quality liquor availability at reasonable prices in the southern state.
Private retail system and online lottery for liquor licenses
"The cabinet decided to adopt a private retail system for sale of liquor as part of an attempt to increase management efficiency. Of the 3,736 retail outlets in the state, 10 per cent will be allotted to the toddy-tappers community," said Information and Public Relations Minister K Parthasarathy. Additionally, plans are underway to open premium shops at 12 locations excluding Tirupati.
Cabinet approves reservation and educational initiatives
The cabinet also approved a proposal to provide 33% reservation to backward classes in legislative bodies. It further resolved to establish an Artificial Intelligence university and a skilling academy in Andhra Pradesh. The cabinet further decided to revoke a Government Order (GO) that provided ₹200 payments to village volunteers and secretariats. This decision was made due to the annual loss of ₹102 crore incurred by the state from this policy.
Cabinet approves renaming and funding initiatives
In terms of infrastructure, the cabinet approved the existing agency to construct a new diaphragm wall for the Polavaram Project with future works being conducted transparently through a bidding process. Other decisions taken were the renaming of Bhogapuram Airport as Alluri Seetharamaraju International Airport and the Vikasitha Andhra 2047 vision document as the Swarnandhra Vision Document. To support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), a ₹100 crore corpus fund for the 2024-25 financial year was approved.
