From May 18, the day when alcohol sale is expected to resume in Kerala, tipplers have to shell out more money than what they used to spent to buy alcohol before lockdown.
This was confirmed by Kerala's Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac after Wednesday's state cabinet meeting.
"We will issue an Ordinance soon to hike the alcohol price between 10 and 35 per cent," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
The price rise for Bacardi Rum will be Rs 150 (new price - Rs 1440, old price Rs 1290), Signature Whiskey will be Rs 140 (new price Rs 1410, old price Rs 1270), Magic Moments Vodka Rs 100 (new price Rs 1010, old price Rs 910), Mansion House Brandy Rs 90 (new price Rs 910, old price Rs 820) and Jawan Rum (new price Rs 580, old Rs 500).
The state government is expecting to collect Rs 2,000 crore through the price hike.
Alcohol sale has been stopped since imposition of lockdown, hitting the state exchequer hard.
Bar sale, crowd control measures
The government also plans to change important clauses in the Kerala Abkari Act, the rules governing liquor sales in the state, through the Ordinance.
The Ordinance will pave way for retail liquor sales through bars. At present, liquor sales are allowed only through retail outlets run by Beverages Corporation and Supplyco.
The government will also implement strict crowd control measures.
Unruly crowd at the liquor outlets will become a thing of the past with the introduction of virtual crowd control measures.
Buyers can get their token online for procuring their drinks. Not more than five persons will be allowed at a time inside the shop.
