Jammu, February 8: The Jammu and Kashmir government has generated a substantial revenue of ₹2,152 crore from the auction of liquor shops over the past two financial years. However, there are no plans to open new liquor stores in the Union Territory for the current fiscal year.
According to official data, the revenue for 2023-24 reached ₹1,03,462.49 lakh, while the government earned ₹1,11,816.07 lakh in 2024-25.
Officials indicated that the Jammu region contributed the most to this revenue, generating ₹1,96,830.06 lakh over the last two years, compared to ₹18,448.50 lakh from the Kashmir region.
The government further stated that there are no proposals to issue new JKEL-2 liquor licenses during the current financial year.
District-wise details shared by the government reveal that existing liquor shops have yielded significant revenue in the past two years. In Jammu district, revenue was ₹48,350.15 lakh in 2023-24, increasing to ₹50,913.93 lakh in 2024-25. Udhampur recorded revenues of ₹11,322 lakh in 2023-24 and ₹12,061.50 lakh in 2024-25, while Kathua saw revenues of ₹10,653 lakh and ₹11,272 lakh during the same period.
In the Kashmir region, Srinagar’s revenue was ₹5,489.67 lakh in 2023-24, rising to ₹6,557.66 lakh in 2024-25. Anantnag’s revenue increased from ₹1,403.50 lakh to ₹1,999.50 lakh, while Baramulla recorded ₹872.23 lakh in 2023-24 and ₹1,139.84 lakh in 2024-25.
Officials noted that under the Jammu and Kashmir Excise Act of 1958 and the periodically notified excise policy, all liquor licenses are issued only to residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
