Overview
- The excise department collected ₹1,038 crore in April and May, a roughly 17% increase from ₹885 crore in the same period last year.
- The Delhi government has set an excise revenue target of ₹7,200 crore for 2026–27, slightly higher than the ₹7,148 crore collected in 2025–26.
- Officials and industry say the March decision to extend the pre-2021 excise regime for a full year reduced licence and supply uncertainty after a period of short three-month extensions.
- Industry figures reported availability of national liquor brands rose from about 24% last year to roughly 54% this year, and stricter monitoring of government-run vends helped curb preferential brand-pushing and retain customers who previously shopped in Noida and Gurugram.
- Retail liquor in Delhi remains run by four government agencies with over 700 vends and more than 900 licensed hotels and clubs, and officials are still consulting on a new excise policy that is not yet ready for implementation which means continued policy choices will shape whether collections hold up.