Assam Cabinet’s nod to online liquor sale

Special Representative

GUWAHATI, July 14 2021: The meeting of Assam Cabinet in Dispur Wednesday afternoon took the following decisions:

• Cabinet has decided to approve online sale/purchase and home delivery of liquor within the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) area for a month on experimental basis in order to avoid crowding outside liquor shops in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation
• In view of crowding witnessed outside liquor shops (in the non-curfew hours) and “on the basis of the Supreme Court and Madras High Court directives”, the Cabinet  took the decision.
• Such online sale of liquor will be effective once the notification is issued by the government. The guidelines will be prepared by the state excise department.
• The Cabinet decided that the Information and Public Relations Department would now directly sanction funds to media houses for the government advertisements published/broadcast in the media. So, media houses will not have to wait long for the funds to be sanctioned.
• Cabinet decided to amalgamate the Guwahati Development Department and Urban Development Department into “Housing and Urban Affairs department” so as to facilitate easy and prompt access to funds sanctioned by the Centre.
•  Cabinet decided to amalgamate General Administration Department (GAD) and Secretariat Administration Department (SAD) into one department – General Administration Department.
• Mahanta further said that the Cabinet decided to utilise the funds under the 15th Finance Commission in schemes to build schools, Anganwadi houses and parks within villages.