Women have secured 10% of liquor licenses in Andhra Pradesh

Amaravati: Women have secured a large chunk of liquor shop licenses In Andhra Pradesh.

Prohibition and Excise Department allocated 3,396 liquor shop licenses in the general category via a draw of lots. Of these, 345 were allotted to women, making up to 10.20 percent of the total licensees.

Interestingly, many applicants submitted hundreds of entries in the name of their family members and relatives to increase their chances of winning. Andhra Pradesh government collected Rs 1,800 crore in non-refundable application fees for the 3,396 liquor shop outlets.

Women are on the Top:

NTR Vijayawada district received the highest number of bids, with 5,825 applications, followed by West Godavari (5,628), Eluru (5,499), and Vizianagaram (5,241). The districts with the fewest bids were ASR District (1,205), Parvathipuram Manyam (1,393), and Sri Satya Sai District (1,518). Visakhapatnam saw the highest number of liquor shops allotted (31), followed by Anakapalli (25). Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Nellore received 24 licenses each. NTR district received the most applications.

Women, accompanied by their children attended the lottery events in large numbers in districts such as Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Tirupati, Annamayya, and Anakapalli. Many liquor merchants applied under the names of female family members, hoping for better luck. In Tirupati Corporation, six out of 32 liquor shop licenses were allotted to women.

Once selected, winners must pay licensing fees ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 85 lakh in six installments. Last year, the state government generated Rs 30,000 crore from liquor sales, and for the remaining six months of this year, it is expecting to generate Rs 17,000 crore.

Political leaders grab the chance:

In Anantapur district, BJP president Sandireddy Srinivasa Rao won licenses for five liquor shops in Dharmavaram, Battalapalli, and Mudigubbal, all in the Dharmavaram constituency. In the Madakasira constituency, four shops were allotted to Venkatasubba Reddy and Vyjayanthimala, close associates of former MLA Tippeswamy.

In the Kamalapuram constituency of YSR District, four liquor shops were awarded to owners of BRK News Channel, with a reporter from the channel even participating in the lottery process. Minister Narayana, who had submitted 100 applications for liquor shops, won three shops in the lottery, distributing the licenses to 15 party leaders and workers to manage the outlets.

Bidders from other states win the chance:

Additionally, this year saw a surge in applications from outside the state.

This year, the department allowed applicants from other states to participate. Businessmen from Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Indore secured licenses through the lottery. In Kurnool district, 10 liquor shops were acquired by businessmen from Karnataka and Telangana.