Guwahati: Assam will launch an ‘Assam Made Liquor’ initiative to curb illicit trade and offer regulated alternatives.Finance minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said, “Our govt is introducing Assam Made Liquor to provide affordable, regulated and quality-assured alternatives while discouraging illegal production and distribution.”The excise department collected Rs 4,054 crore in 2025-26, up Rs 445 crore from Rs 3,609 crore in the previous financial year. The govt attributed the rise to tax reforms and stronger enforcement.Baruah said the govt has rationalised the ad valorem levy structure to make excise taxation more efficient, transparent and responsive to revenue growth. The Budget also underlined steps to encourage the production and regulated marketing of Assam’s traditional alcoholic beverages.The ‘Assam Made Liquor’ initiative aims to provide affordable, quality-assured liquor under a regulated framework, discourage illicit brewing and sales, improve consumer safety and bring more of the liquor trade under formal oversight.To tighten monitoring, the govt has proposed digital lock systems for interstate liquor consignments and for liquor transported from distilleries, manufacturing units and wholesale warehouses. The system is expected to improve supply-chain tracking and prevent diversion.The govt also highlighted its crackdown on illegal liquor. In 2025-26, the excise department registered 24,228 excise offences and seized 1.52 lakh litres of illicit liquor through enforcement and vigilance drives.
