Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SD)

Bengaluru, Apr 7: Amid the rising cases of coronavirus in the country, few state leaders have urged the centre to extend the lockdown period which is bound to end on April 14. Meanwhile, the lockdown also caused shutting down of stores across the nation, one of them being liquor shops. The closure of these shops, however, proved disastrous to the some addicts who have since then resorted to suicide as they are unable to handle the withdrawal symptoms. Now, if the ongoing 21-day lockdown is extended, the Karnataka government is reportedly considering the possibility of keeping the liquor stores open for a limited duration during the day.

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Earlier in the week, news from the around the country of miscreants breaking in the liquor shops also surfaced.

According to excise department officials, CM Yediyurappa will take a final call on the proposal to resume the sale of liquor between 10 am to 1 pm if the lockdown goes beyond April 14.

Even before the lockdown was announced on March 24, liquor sale was prohibited in Karnataka three days before the announcement on March 21.

After commercial tax, the excise tax is the second-highest revenue generator for the Karnataka government which has prompted the government to reconsider the ban, reports suggest.

In the year 2019-20, the average revenue collected per month was Rs 1,800 crore. According to the current budget the government was expecting to collect a revenue of Rs 22,700 crore but exceeded the target by Rs 450 crore.