The collection of taxes from the sale of liquor is one of the main sources of income (representative)
New Delhi:
The Delhi government’s proposal to reopen liquor bars, which have been closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, has been approved by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, sources said. Pubs, restaurants and hotels that have the required licenses can also serve spirits, they said, adding that the order is likely to be implemented from Sept. 9.
All businesses serving liquor on their premises will have to strictly adhere to standard operating procedures set by the central government, including wearing masks and maintaining social distance, to stop the transmission of the virus that has killed more than 67,000 people. in the country. country so far.
Income-strapped Delhi had been reporting nearly 4,000 cases a day in June, putting tremendous pressure on the healthcare infrastructure. In July and most of August, daily cases plummeted to 600-1,500. However, last week, Delhi’s daily cases crossed the 2,000 mark again.
Opening up the economy completely had been one of the repeated demands of Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who maintains that the national capital now has the proper health infrastructure to cope with the influx of coronavirus patients.
The Delhi government had opened restricted liquor stores weeks ago, but bars and pubs remained closed.
The collection of taxes from the sale of liquor is one of the main sources of government revenue.
The tax revenues of states and central governments have been severely affected due to months of economic inactivity due to the coronavirus lockdown. The country’s gross domestic product or GDP contracted 23.9 percent in the April-June period, much worse than economists’ estimates.
The Center is also struggling to pay the state fees for goods and services. Last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the coronavirus pandemic was “an act of God” and an unforeseen factor that affected GST collections.
Last month, the Center allowed Metro’s rail services to resume in Delhi and elsewhere by publishing its Unlock4 guidelines. The service in the national capital, which served billions of passengers every day, will resume from September 7, in a phased manner.
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