Revenue Shortfalls in Several Districts Raise Concerns in UP Excise Department

Minister Orders Explanation from 10 District Excise Officers, Bijnor Case Under Probe

(Anytime News Network | Pooja Srivastava)

A review meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Excise Department held in Lucknow on Saturday exposed several administrative and enforcement challenges despite claims of improved revenue performance.

Chairing the meeting at the Sugar Institute in Dalibagh, State Excise and Prohibition Minister Nitin Agarwal assessed departmental performance with senior officials while District Excise Officers (DEOs) across the state joined virtually.

During the review, it was noted that multiple districts had failed to meet their expected revenue targets. The minister directed authorities to seek explanations from the District Excise Officers of Kanpur Nagar, Agra, Meerut, Bijnor, Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Moradabad, Aligarh and Bareilly, raising concerns over the department’s effectiveness in revenue collection.

The minister also ordered an inquiry into alleged irresponsible action taken against a liquor industry unit in Bijnor district, instructing officials to submit a detailed report to the state government.

Another major concern discussed in the meeting was the continued presence of illegal liquor networks. The minister directed strict action to curb the inflow of illicit liquor from neighboring states as well as the production and distribution of spurious, adulterated and stolen alcohol. Enforcement teams were instructed to strengthen monitoring and take firm action against individuals responsible for causing revenue losses to the state.

He also warned officials against overpricing of liquor and harassment of legitimate industry operators. Any complaints regarding obstruction of industrial operations or misconduct by officials would result in strict disciplinary action, he said.

According to official figures, the Excise Department was given a revenue target of ₹63,000 crore for the financial year 2025–26, out of which ₹50,585 crore had been collected by February 2026. While the government highlighted this as an increase over the previous year’s revenue, the shortfalls in several districts have raised questions about the department’s efficiency in meeting targets uniformly.

Authorities also reported the seizure of 276,438 litres of illegal liquor during February, indicating that the problem of illicit alcohol trade remains a persistent challenge.

Senior officials including Additional Chief Secretary Veena Kumari Meena, Excise Commissioner Dr. Adarsh Singh and Special Secretary Abhishek Anand attended the meeting.