National News
After Delhi, excise policy of Punjab’s AAP govt under judicial scanner

Aiming to boost revenue by reducing the price of alcohol and making the booze lovers kings, the new excise policy of the AAP government in Punjab which became operational from July 1, has come under the judicial scanner with those in the trade accusing the government of monopolising the liquor industry in favour of a “handful of entities”.
However, the government claims the policy is aimed at keeping a stringent check on the smuggling of liquor from neighbouring states and is expecting revenue generation of Rs 9,647.85 crore, a spike of about Rs 2,600 crore from the previous fiscal year.
The new policy, approved by the cabinet last month, is applicable for nine months till March 31, 2023.
The petition filed by Akash Enterprises and other wholesale and retail vendors challenged the policy in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the plea that it is an attempt to monopolise the liquor trade. It is pending before the court.
The petitioners pleaded that the government had issued a corrigendum whereby the maximum number of retail groups that can be allotted to an entity has been increased to five from three, which furthers the intent of monopolising the liquor industry into the hands of a few ‘resourceful’ bidders.
Contrary to the allegations, a spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office told IANS that the new excise policy aims to break the mafia nexus in the liquor trade.
Joining issue, rebel AAP leader and now Congress legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira said since Arvind Kejriwal has replicated the Delhi excise policy in Punjab by putting the liquor trade into the hands of the mafia and has robbed small contractors of their livelihood, there should be a similar CBI probe ordered against this policy in Punjab to bring out the truth.
“It is an irony that while Kejriwal is crying wolf in Delhi and issuing clean chits to his ministers accused of corruption with irrefutable evidence, his government in Punjab is orchestrating a malicious and vengeful vendetta campaign in the state against political opponents on baseless allegations of corruption,” he said.
For consumers it has brought cheers with the reduction in the price.
The duties levied on liquor in the wholesale trade have been slashed by 25-60 per cent.
Also in the new policy no quota has been fixed for the sale of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer, which means vend owners can sell as much liquor as they can.
Trade insiders told IANS the policy has reduced the number of groups or clusters of liquor vends from about 750 in the last financial year to 177, with the aim to increase control over the liquor trade and tap optimum revenue.
Als, the government gave its nod to allot two special battalions of police to the excise department, in addition to the existing force, for keeping an effective vigil over the excise duty pilferage.
To encourage investment, a provision for a new distillery and brewery licence has been made in the policy for the production of malt spirit which has been done to encourage crop diversification and provide better remuneration to the farmers.
A government official familiar with the matter told IANS earlier that it was the liberal liquor policy of Chandigarh that was hitting neighbouring states the most, including Punjab.
The chief ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh on several occasions had requested the Chandigarh administration to fix a quota for licensees and increase levies as these have been causing an annual revenue loss of Rs 200-Rs 300 crore to them owing to liquor smuggling.
They had argued that allocation of unlimited quota to a licencee in Chandigarh was promoting smuggling of liquor to nearby states.
“Now it is the liberal liquor policy of Punjab that is going to hit neighbouring states the most,” added the official.
In Punjab, alcohol is the maximally abused substance by more than two million people, followed by tobacco which is consumed by more than 1.5 million people, finds the latest study by the Chandigarh-based Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
The abuse of opioids is by 1.7 lakh individuals, followed by cannabinoids as well as sedative-inhalant stimulants. The latter are largely a class of pharmacological or prescription drugs being used illicitly.
As per the State of Punjab Household Survey and statewide NCD STEPs Survey by the PGIMER, the projected number of overall substance use in Punjab is 15.4 per cent.
Coming out in support of the new liquor policy, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the government has targeted to generate Rs 9,600 crore as against Rs 6,200 crore in the last fiscal.
He said earlier liquor purchased from Haryana used to be sold in Punjab. “The days of the liquor mafia are over now,” he added.
Responding to Delhi’s lieutenant governor V.K. Saxena asking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to inquire into the Delhi government’s excise policy, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said the AAP government’s links with the liquor cartel would soon be exposed in Punjab too.
In Punjab also Kejriwal has tried to replicate the Delhi model which would soon be exposed, he added.
Crime
Delhi Police bust interstate auto theft syndicate, recover eight high end cars

New Delhi, May 30: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted an interstate syndicate involved in the theft and resale of high-end vehicles, a statement said on Friday.
The gang used a sophisticated modus operandi to sell stolen cars through online platforms by forging documents, opening bank accounts with fake identities, and tampering with engine and chassis numbers.
In a series of coordinated operations, the police arrested a key member of the gang and recovered eight luxury vehicles.
According to Delhi Police, the breakthrough came with the arrest of Rakesh Patel alias Pappu (38), a core operative of the syndicate, near Sahibabad Railway Station in Ghaziabad on April 21, 2025.
Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended him while he was attempting to sell a stolen Maruti Wagon-R via an online platform.
Patel, a resident of Sahibabad, Ghaziabad (UP), and originally from Mohiuddin Nagar, Samastipur (Bihar), played a central role in managing theft operations and delivering stolen vehicles across states.
His associates arranged vehicles, counterfeit documents, and fake number plates.
The gang’s method was notably elaborate. After stealing a car, they searched online car-selling portals for vehicles of the same make, model, and colour.
Using open-source information, they identified details of genuine owners and forged documents in the owner’s name — featuring the photograph of one of the accused. They also opened bank accounts using these fake identities.
To avoid detection, the syndicate would tamper with the stolen car’s engine and chassis numbers to match those of the legitimate vehicle. Fake Registration Certificates (RCs) were then prepared, making the stolen car appear genuine. Once the vehicle was thus ‘cloned,’ it was listed for sale on online platforms.
The syndicate targeted high-demand vehicles, often choosing cars parked in low-surveillance or roadside areas. The police noted the gang’s use of advanced technological tools to support their operations.
A team led by Inspector Arun Sindhu of the Crime Branch spearheaded the investigation, which led to the arrest and recovery of the stolen vehicles.
Crime
Five killed in blast at illegal firecracker factory in Punjab’s Muktsar

Chandigarh, May 30: At least five people were killed and 34 injured on Friday in a blast at a double-storey illegal firecracker factory located on the outskirts of a village in Punjab’s Muktsar district, police said.
Most of the victims were migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The factory, owned by Tarsem Singh, who is associated with the state-ruled AAP, in Singhwala village, was reduced to rubble owing to the intensity of the blast, trapping many under debris.
According to the police, the blast occurred at midnight. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, and most of them were stated to be out of danger.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Muktsar Sahib, Akhil Chaudhary, said the blast occurred in one of the rooms in the manufacturing setup of the unit, which led to the collapse of the roof.
Many people got trapped under the debris, and rescue operations were launched immediately after the police received information about the incident.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspal Singh said five bodies had been recovered from the debris, and 29 injured individuals were rushed to AIIMS Bathinda and hospitals in Muktsar.
Rescue teams were still on the scene, working to clear the rubble and search for survivors, if any.
The exact cause of the blast is being worked out, but initial investigation suggests that the blast occurred from potash used in manufacturing crackers.
Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijit Kaplish told the media that no permission was granted to the manufacturing unit under the Explosives Rules of 2008.
“An application was made by the owners, but reports from different departments were pending, so no permission was granted,” he clarified.
Scattered shoes, broken glass panes and vehicles were seen all over the accident spot, as rescuers were sifting through the rubble in search of survivors.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal has demanded a probe into the incident and urged the government to promptly release adequate compensation to the victims’ families.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudian said the factory owner is a supporter of the AAP, but that does not permit anyone to engage in illegal activity.
“The law will take its own course,” he added.
In 2020, a total of 23 people were killed and 27 were injured in the explosion in an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Punjab’s Batala town. It was manufacturing and storing crackers for a ‘nagar kirtan’ — a religious procession relating to the birth anniversary celebrations of Sikhism’s founder, Guru Nanak Dev.
A similar blast occurred in Batala in January 2017, leaving one person dead and three injured.
National News
Maharashtra attracts 40 per cent of country’s total investment in 2024-25

Mumbai, May 30: Maharashtra, under the Mahayuti government, has consolidated its position as India’s investment magnet by attracting foreign investment worth Rs 1,64,875 crore in 2024-25, which accounts for 40 per cent of the total investment received by the country this year.
According to the state government, Maharashtra continues to be the most favoured investment destination due to a business-friendly environment, dedicated sectoral facilities and availability of the highest employable workforce (70 per cent).
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “I am extremely delighted to share that the figures for the last quarter (January to March 2025) of the financial year 2024-25 have now been released, and for the entire year, Maharashtra has attracted foreign investment worth Rs 1,64,875 crore. This accounts for 40 per cent of the total investment received by the country this year. The total investment in the country this year amounts to Rs 4,21,929 crore.”
“Compared to last year, Maharashtra has seen a 32 per cent increase in investment this year. In this final quarter, Maharashtra attracted Rs 25,441 crore in foreign investment. This year has set a record for Maharashtra, surpassing the past 10 years. We had already broken this record in the first nine months. I wholeheartedly congratulate the people of Maharashtra,” CM Fadnavis said.
Retaining the number one slot has come as a shot in the arm for the Maharashtra government as it has an ambitious target of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030 and $5 trillion by 2047. The state economy has already crossed the $500 billion mark.
The Industry Department sources said Maharashtra has formulated industry and sector-specific policies and consistently updates its incentives and offerings to align with the evolving global economic dynamics and business scenarios.
“Maharashtra continues to lead the way as a top investment destination in India. The Retail Trade Policy 2016, Maharashtra Electronics Policy 2016, Aerospace and Defence Policy 2018, and Industrial Policy 2019 are under the government’s active consideration for review to keep pace with the changing investment scenario. In addition, the government proposes to come up with the Circular Economy Policy, MSME Policy, and Leather and Footwear Policy. The state has crossed $500 billion in GDP, surpassing the GDP of several countries like Singapore and Austria, as well as Indian states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” the sources added.
Further, the government has enacted ‘The Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation Act’ on July 3, 2023, to create a strong, healthy and effective ecosystem for industrial development and further boost the investments in the state.
The Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation (MATRI) cell aims to serve as the first point of reference for potential investors coming to the state.
Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar asserted that the record-breaking investment is not merely a matter of rising financial numbers, but proof of the global trust in Maharashtra.
“Now, as investment has increased, employment opportunities will also grow, new industries will be established, while further opening up new opportunities,” he said.
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