Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh excise department collected Rs 15,809 crore in excise duty from liquor sales between April 1 and June 30, 2026, up from Rs 14,229 crore during the corresponding period last year, registering an 11% increase in revenue during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year.Reviewing the department’s performance on Tuesday, state excise minister (independent charge) Nitin Agarwal said total revenue collection between April and July 2026 stood at Rs 18,655.23 crore against a cumulative target of Rs 21,800 crore, achieving 85.57% of the goal.The collection was marginally higher than the Rs 18,583.19 crore generated during the corresponding period of the previous financial year.For 2026-27, the department has set an annual revenue target of Rs 71,278 crore. In 2025-26, it collected Rs 57,722 crore.Agarwal also highlighted what he termed a major achievement, saying no deaths linked to the consumption of spurious or illicit liquor had been reported anywhere in Uttar Pradesh over the past four-and-a-half years.The minister directed officials to ensure that no such incidents occur during the upcoming festive season and warned that negligence in enforcement would not be tolerated.He asked excise officials to work closely with district administrations and the police to curb the manufacture, transportation and sale of illicit liquor.“Complaints related to illegal and country-made liquor should be acted upon immediately. Strict action should also be taken against overpricing,” Agarwal said.The minister also stressed stronger enforcement in districts bordering neighbouring states. He directed officials to intensify surveillance and enforcement operations in sensitive districts of Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and western Uttar Pradesh to check the smuggling of illicit liquor.
