(Image source from: Twitter.com/ANI)

Liquor Prices Hiked By 70% In Delhi:- With the coronavirus scare and lockdown, the whole country is under lockdown. Liquor sales contribute most of the revenue across all the Indian states. The price of liquor will go up by 70% in the national capital New Delhi starting from today. The Delhi government announced imposing a special corona fee on liquor. A notification on this is issued last night by the Delhi government which left many in deep shock. After the shops are shut down from March 23rd, the wine shops that are run by the government re-opened in New Delhi for the first time yesterday. The crowds are huge across the 150 wine outlets in Delhi and the social distancing was badly ignored. In some of the regions, the cops had to do lathi-charge to bring situations under control. Some of the shops are shut due to the heavy crowds.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the shops would be shut if the rules are violated. The government amended the Delhi Excise Act, 2009 to impose the special fees. The new rates will be applicable from today. Delhi government earns Rs 500 crores through the sale of liquor in the national capital. The state is expected to earn big as the shops are getting reopened after a gap of 40 days and the government would get extra income with the price hike in liquor. Though the Centre asked the states to open liquor shops in green zones, several states violated the rules and reopened wine marts across the orange and red zones even after having several positive cases. People ignored social distancing and rushed to purchase liquor.