In A Boost To GIFT City, Gujarat Allows Liquor Consumption Ahead Of Vibrant Gujarat Summit

The latest move by the state is aimed at attracting foreign financial firms to set up their offices in the country’s only International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), which is also being pitched as a major hub of foreign universities for their international campus.

As per the new policy, the officials, employees and owners working or operating from the GIFT city area will be exempted from the state’s decades old prohibition law, which makes alcohol consumption illegal across the state.

The new rules framed by the state government will now provide for issuing liquor access permit to all the employees/owners and officials working in the entire GIFT City.

Moreover, the new rules for the GIFT city also has a provision to allow authorised visitors of each company or firm operating in the GIFT City area to consume liquor in such hotels, restaurants, clubs having temporary permits in the presence of permanent employees of that company.

Accordingly, the hotels, restaurants and clubs located or coming to GIFT City will be able to obtain wine and dine facility license there. Officially serving employees of GIFT City and officially visiting visitors can consume liquor in these hotels, clubs and restaurants. However, these hotels, clubs, restaurants cannot sell liquor bottles, the state government said in a statement.

Liquor sales have been prohibited in Gujarat since it was carved out from the erstwhile Bombay State and made a separate state in 1960. The state follows the Gandhian principle that discourages alcohol consumption.

However, over the past decade, the state has taken a series of incremental steps to relax the prohibition law in a bid to attract the foreign investments.

Firstly, the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) set up in the state were allowed exemption from the state’s law pertaining to the liquor consumption.Secondly, as part of its tourism policy, the state has given permission to set up licensed liquor stores in some hotels where only tourists can purchase alcohol from the licensed shops.

According to sources, there are around 60 hotels and clubs that have been given the permission for liquor shops for tourists.

These licensed liquor stores can also cater to nearly 48,000 local permit holders, who have been issued the permits by the state government based on their health requirements.

A health permit for alcohol consumption can be issued based on the recommendation of the state health department after the health records of the person who seeks the permit.