Telangana hikes liquor prices by ₹10- ₹40

THe Telangana regime has increased prices of hard liquor brands from ₹10 to ₹40 per bottleful with effectuate from mon, people familiar with the matter said.The decision to increase the liquor prices was taken by the Telangana Beverages Corporation Limited (TGBCL), in tune with the policy decision of the state prohibition and excise department. As per the new rates, a 180 ml quarter bottle of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and foreign liquor brands will cost ₹10 more, while the cost of a 350 ml half-bottle has gone up by a ₹20 hike, and that of a 750ml full bottle by ₹40.However, there has been no increase in the price of low-cost ordinary liquor or ready-to-drink options like wine or breezer or beer. The new pricing structure will impact over 2,000 liquor brands across the state and all the retail liquor outlets have been instructed to display the revised rates.“The state government has not increased the base price of the IMFL brands, but only increased special excise cess (SEC), which will be added to the final bill of the liquor sale. As such, there will be no additional benefit to the liquor dealers,” Telangana wine dealers’ association president D Venkateshwar Rao. He further said that the state government is expected to generate an additional ₹150-170 crore in monthly revenue through the price revision. “We don’t get any hike in our profit margin of 15-20%,” he said.He said six months ago, the government enforced a similar increase in beer prices by 15%. The price of Kingfisher Ultra beer (650ml) went up from ₹210 to ₹250, following a pressure from the United Breweries Limited (UBL). “But, there was not expected increase in the sales of beer this summer,” the association president said.As per the budgetary figures for 2025-26, the state government received a revenue of ₹25,617 crore during 2024-25 for the excise department. During 2025-26, it was projected to generate a revenue of ₹27,623 crore through liquor, apart from state goods and services tax and cess on liquor sales.“The decision to increase the cess comes in the wake of a series of high-level meetings aimed at boosting state revenues and setting departmental targets,” an official of the excise department said.The liquor prices in Telangana are still on a higher side compared to its neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. For example, Ballantine blended scotch whisky bottle (750 ml) costs ₹4,150 in Telangana, while it is ₹2,600 in Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, a full-bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label is now sold at ₹4,690 in Telangana and only ₹2,720 in Andhra Pradesh.“However, in Andhra Pradesh, too, the prices of all categories of IMFL went up by 15% since February this year due to increase in additional retail excise tax. Yet, the cost of liquor in Andhra Pradesh is lesser compared to Telangana,” the official added.Reacting to the price hike of liquor bottles, senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former finance minister T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for depending on the excise revenue to run the administration. “Is this government only dependent on beers and bars as all its efforts are aimed at filling the coffers by increasing the liquor revenue,” he questioned. He said it appears Telangana was rising only in the excise income by increasing the prices of liquor.