The Maharashtra government on Monday made it compulsory for liquor bottles to have a barcode and a hologram so that counterfeit alcohol can be tracked, PTI reported. The government believes the new mechanism will help consumers know whether the bottles they are buying are fake or genuine.
The holograms cannot be duplicated or re-used, the report added. Shops and establishments selling liquor will need to stock special lenses for consumers to read the holograms, while barcodes can be scanned using smartphones.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The excise department proposed the new measure to help track alcohol from the manufacturer to its point of sale. It will also show a bottle’s date of manufacture and when it travelled to a retailer.

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