Kerala’s BEVCO revives proposal for online liquor sales via home delivery 

INDIA – The Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing) Corporation Limited (BEVCO) has renewed its proposal to introduce home delivery of liquor through online sales, despite the state government’s repeated refusal to amend the Abkari Act to permit such a move. 

The latest proposal, submitted to the Excise Department by BEVCO Managing Director Harshita Attaluri, is based on an offer from food and grocery delivery platform Swiggy to deliver liquor directly to customers’ homes.  

If the state government grants approval, BEVCO plans to initiate a tender process, with the contract awarded to the lowest bidder. 

Under the proposal, customers aged 23 years and above would be eligible to place orders, subject to mandatory ID verification for age confirmation. All liquor products currently sold at BEVCO outlets would be made available through the online platform. 

Attaluri said the primary motivation for the initiative is to reduce heavy crowding outside liquor outlets, which frequently causes traffic congestion in Kerala.  

While Tamil Nadu operates approximately 4,700 liquor shops, Kerala has only 283, leading to long queues. She added that diverting a portion of customers to online sales could ease congestion and enhance sales revenue. 

In 2024–25, BEVCO recorded revenue of Rs 19,700 crore (US$2.2B), up from Rs 19,050 crore (US$2.17B) in the previous fiscal year. Attaluri expressed confidence that online sales could drive significant growth in these figures. 

However, officials from the Excise Department noted that the proposal faces legal hurdles. Liquor sales in Kerala are governed by the Foreign Liquor Rules, 1953, and introducing online sales would require amendments to the Abkari Act, along with the formulation of new rules, all subject to state government approval. The officials confirmed that a similar proposal had been reviewed and rejected in the past. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kerala briefly permitted online liquor sales via a virtual queue system supported by a dedicated mobile application. 

BEVCO is responsible for the sale and distribution of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, beer, wine, Foreign Made Foreign Liquor, and Foreign Made Wine in the state. It operates 26 warehouses and 283 retail outlets, including 155 with self-service or premium counters. 

Liquor remains a key revenue source for Kerala, with tax collections rising from Rs 8,778.29 crore (US$1B) in 2016–17 to Rs 15,170.82 crore (US$1.7B) in 2023–24. 

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