BEVCO seeks approval for home delivery despite Kerala government’s legal opposition

Kerala BEVCO pushes for online liquor sales again

Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) has renewed its push for online liquor sales and home delivery in the state, despite the government&rsquo;s continued opposition to amending the Abkari Act to allow such sales.
BEVCO Managing Director Harshita Attaluri submitted the proposal to the Excise Department, based on a collaboration offer from the food and grocery delivery platform Swiggy to deliver liquor directly to customers&rsquo; doorsteps. If approved, a tender would be floated and the contract awarded to the lowest bidder.
The plan includes mandatory ID verification to ensure customers are at least 23 years old, and all products available at BEVCO outlets would be offered online. The main aim is to reduce the crowding and traffic congestion frequently seen outside the state&rsquo;s limited number of liquor outlets.
Attaluri pointed out that Kerala has only 283 liquor stores compared to Tamil Nadu&rsquo;s 4,700, leading to long queues and congestion. Online sales and home delivery could help ease this burden and potentially boost revenue. BEVCO&rsquo;s revenue rose to Rs 19,700 crore in 2024&ndash;25 from Rs 19,050 crore the previous year, and the Managing Director believes online sales could significantly increase these figures.
However, Excise officials have noted that legal obstacles remain. Liquor sales in Kerala are governed by the Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953, and any move toward online sales would require amendments to the Abkari Act and approval of new rules by the state government. A similar proposal had been rejected in the past.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kerala temporarily allowed online liquor sales through a virtual queue system via a dedicated app, but this was short-lived.
Currently, BEVCO oversees the sale and distribution of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, beer, and wine through 26 warehouses and 283 retail outlets, of which 155 offer self-service or premium counters. Liquor sales are a major tax revenue source for Kerala, with collections rising from Rs 8,778 crore in 2016&ndash;17 to Rs 15,170 crore in 2023&ndash;24.
Despite BEVCO&rsquo;s efforts, the state government&rsquo;s resistance to amending the Abkari Act casts doubt over the future of online liquor sales and home delivery in Kerala. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

10 ઑગસ્ટ, 2025 | 20:20 IST

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