J&K government says no plan for prohibition; liquor sales remain key revenue, generating ₹3,450 crore over three years, supporting tourism, trade, and livelihoods.
J&K government says no plan for prohibition [Photo: X]
Jammu, Feb 10: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday made it clear in the Legislative Assembly that there is no proposal under consideration to declare the Union Territory a dry UT, even as liquor sales have emerged as a major revenue source, generating over ₹3,450 crore during the last three financial years.
In a written reply to an Assembly question raised by MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, the government said that enforcing prohibition could prove counter-productive. It warned that a ban on liquor could trigger large-scale smuggling from neighbouring States and UTs, encourage illegal distillation, strengthen liquor mafias and pose serious risks to public health.
The government further underlined that prohibition would have a cascading impact on the economy, adversely affecting tourism, hospitality, transport and manufacturing sectors, while also threatening the livelihoods of thousands of people directly and indirectly associated with the liquor trade.
Official figures placed before the House showed that Jammu district continues to be the highest revenue generator in the UT. In 2022–23, the district had 140 wine shops and 84 bars, contributing ₹51,262.41 lakh to the exchequer. The number rose to 151 wine shops and 93 bars in 2023–24, with revenue touching ₹50,826.31 lakh. In 2024–25, Jammu district recorded its highest revenue of ₹52,292.83 lakh with 153 wine shops and 97 bars.
Kathua, Samba and Udhampur districts also showed consistent growth over the three-year period. Kathua generated ₹12,367.06 lakh in 2022–23, ₹12,217.17 lakh in 2023–24 and ₹12,694.98 lakh in 2024–25, supported by a steady increase in wine shops and bars. Samba’s revenue climbed from ₹8,229.14 lakh in 2022–23 to ₹10,299.42 lakh in 2024–25, with wine shops increasing from 14 to 19. Udhampur registered a steady rise from ₹10,777.00 lakh to ₹12,987.50 lakh during the same period.
Moderate but stable revenue trends were reported from Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts. Reasi’s revenue increased gradually to ₹3,450.50 lakh in 2024–25, even as the number of bars dropped to zero. Doda’s earnings remained largely stable at around ₹2,600–2,700 lakh over the three years. Kishtwar saw a notable rise from ₹1,216.76 lakh to ₹1,964.09 lakh, while Ramban’s revenue hovered close to ₹2,700 lakh.
Rajouri district, however, witnessed a sharp spike in 2024–25. After generating ₹5,887.27 lakh in 2022–23 and ₹5,268.78 lakh in 2023–24, revenue jumped dramatically to ₹15,232.04 lakh in 2024–25, backed by 18 wine shops and 25 bars. Poonch showed fluctuating trends, with revenue dipping in 2023–24 before marginally improving in the current financial year.
In the Kashmir division, the presence of liquor outlets remained limited, but revenue showed an upward trend in select districts. Srinagar more than doubled its revenue from ₹3,086.77 lakh in 2022–23 to over ₹7,600 lakh in 2024–25, with seven wine shops and four bars currently operational. Anantnag recorded a sharp rise to nearly ₹2,000 lakh in 2024–25 despite having only two wine shops and no bars. Baramulla and Ganderbal also posted incremental gains, while Kupwara, which had no outlets in 2022–23, recorded over ₹440 lakh in revenue in 2024–25 with just one wine shop.
The government also informed the House that Pulwama, Shopian, Bandipora, Budgam and Kulgam districts had no bars or wine shops during the last three financial years, reaffirming that liquor policy implementation across the UT remains uneven and region-specific.
