Haryana Cabinet approves new Excise Policy

The Haryana government on Monday accorded approval to the Haryana AI Development Project (HAIDP) for 2025-28, with a total outlay of Rs 474.39 crore. The cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, also approved the constitution of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the implementation of externally aided projects. HAIDP is envisioned as a strategic intervention to position Haryana as a national hub for Al-enabled development, an official statement said.
Haryana Cabinet also approved the Excise Policy for 2025-27. As per policy, no liquor sub-vend shall be permitted in villages with a population of 500 or less, while stricter restrictions on advertisement of liquor have been introduced.A major structural reform introduced in this policy is the realignment of the Excise Policy year with the financial year. Due to this decision 152 liquor shops will be closed in more than 700 villages. In the new policy, to open outlets for consuming liquor ( AHATAS), 4 percent of the license fee will have to be paid in Gurugram, 3 percent of the license fee in Faridabad, Sonipat, Panchkula and 1 percent of the license fee in the rest of the districts. In the new policy, it has been made mandatory to have a 1000 square meter area for the outlets for consuming liquor. The current policy will operate from June 12, 2025 to March 31, 2027, for a period of 21.5 months, after which future policy cycles will be aligned with the April-March financial year.