Telangana Excise department releases schedule for liquor shop draw of lots

Telangana will issue 2,620 new liquor shop licences for 2025–2027 through a lottery. Applications open Sept 26–Oct 18. The fee is Rs 3 lakh per application. The State hopes to earn Rs 6,500 crore from this licensing process

HYDERABAD: The Prohibition and Excise department has released the schedule for drawl of lots for retail liquor (A4 shops) for the licence period from December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2027.

The cash-strapped State government is hoping to fill its coffers with the issue of licences for new liquor shops. The application fee for each shop has been fixed at Rs 3 lakh and multiple applications will be permitted for one shop.

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The application fee has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. The State government hopes to generate nearly Rs 6,500 crore through the licence and application fee alone. In 2023, the government collected Rs 1,350 crore through application fees and Rs 3,500 crore through the licence fee.

The draw of lots would be conducted for allotment of licences for as many as 2,620 shops across the State. Applications would be received from September 26 to October 18. The government is implementing reservations for different communities, including Gouds (15 per cent), Scheduled Castes (10 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (5 per cent).

Depending on the population, the Retail Shop Excise Tax (RSET) has been divided into categories. It varies from Rs 50 lakh per annum for villages with a population of less than 5000 to Rs 1.1 crore for a population of over 20 lakh.

As per the schedule released by the department, the dates for payment of the first installment of RSET are October 23 and 24. Shops will open on December 1, 2025.