A food delivering giants Swiggy and Zomato have already started Alcohol home-deliveries in Ranchi and expected to expand their services in the coming days. Following them, Amazon and Big-basket are now entering the profitable business of home-delivering alcohol.
According to Reuters, both the companies have bought the necessary permissions to alcohol home deliveries in West Bengal. The announcement was made on Friday by West Bengal State Beverages Corporation; the agency allowed to grant liquor licenses in the state. Amazon has been invited to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state, said the Agency.
The licenses to Amazon and BigBasket are part of a concerted policy shift across India towards permitting the home-delivery of alcohol. The International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI) has hailed the launching of alcohol retail to e-commerce platforms. In a statement to Reuters earlier this year, “It is imperative they (states) reduce the load on the retail counter”, said Amrit Kiran, the trade body’s executive chairman, by encouraging alcohol home delivery.
To ensure that the alcohol delivery doesn’t get misused, Swiggy is implementing a mandatory age verification system. As part of the plan, users will have to verify their age using Voter ID, Passport, or Aadhaar Card.
This is not the first time a delivery service has proposed an alcohol delivery service. Dunzo had once launched an alcohol beverages home-delivery service. However, it had stopped because of regulatory issues. Now, things are finally moving forward on this front with views towards alcohol changing across the country.
Let’s hope alcohol home deliveries will start soon in India.
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