Himachal allows up to 30% interchange between liquor quotas

The Himachal Pradesh government has amended its excise policy to allow contractors to interchange up to 30 percent of their liquor quota between Indian Made Foreign Liquor and Country Liquor. The conversion will be permitted at a rate of ₹55 per proof litre (PPL), offering licencees greater operational flexibility based on local market demand.

A notification to this effect has been issued by the Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise, following a Cabinet decision chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier this month. The change has been formalised through an amendment to the Himachal Pradesh Liquor Licence Rules, 1986, with a new sub-rule — 35A (30), authorising the Collector (Excise) of each zone to approve such conversions for the financial year 2025–26.

According to the notification, the conversion can be availed by licencees operating both IMFL and Country Liquor vends under the same ownership. To maintain revenue parity, the notification has also defined a formula to determine the equivalent converted quota between the two categories.