The Administrative Council, in a meeting under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, gave it’s approval for incorporation of liberal provisions in Jammu and Kashmir Liquor License and Sale Rules, 1984 and Excise Policy, 2023-24 for grant of License JKEL-2A for retail sale of Beer and Ready to Drink (RTD) beverages in Departmental Stores in urban areas of UT.
The eligible Departmental Stores in a Commercial Complex, must be ones approved by a competent authority, fulfilling certain conditions:
like having minimum carpet area of 1200 Sq. Feet, min annual turnover of 5 Crores in the cities of Jammu and Srinagar, and min 2 Crores turnover in other urban areas. Moreover, chain of Departmental Stores having annual turnover of more than Rs.10 Crores will be eligible to apply for separate licenses for each of its Store.
The Departmental store should have been ooerational for at least 12 months prior to the date of application. However, this condition shall not be applicable in case of a new/recently opened Departmental Store belonging to a chain of Departmental Stores having annual turnover of more than Rs. 10 Crores.
Further the departmental stores should be selling a minimum of six of the category of items including Grocery Items; Frozen Foods; Confectionery/Bakery Items; Toiletries; Cosmetics; Household Goods; Utensils/kitchenware; Sports Items; Electrical/Electronic Appliances; Apparels; and Stationery. In addition, no application for the grant of License shall be considered for Departmental Stores functioning at Petrol Pumps as per the said decision.
AC also approved permission to the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation for retail sale of Beer and Ready to Drink beverages in unserved/ underserved areas in consultation with the concerned Deputy Commissioner.
The meeting was also attended by Chief Sec. Arun Kumar and Adivor to LG Rajiv Rai Bhatnaagar.
