The Maharashtra government on Monday ruled out a blanket ban on liquor in the state, but said it may consider disallowing the sale of country liquor. Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar pointed out that liquor sales generate around Rs 13,000 crore revenue for the state government and thus a blanket ban would mean huge loss for the state exchequer, reported PTI. He, however, said, “If there is specific demand for liquor prohibition from a certain district, we will consider it.”

Regarding introducing prohibitions on the sale of country liquor, the state said it may follow the Tamil Nadu model, as this could increase revenue. The southern state banned country liquor and replaced it with a cheaper version branded by the state. All liquor shops in Tamil Nadu are owned by the government and this generates revenue of around Rs 23,000 crore.

The demand for a blanket ban on the sale of any liquor, be it foreign or country, was raised by social activist Anna Hazare. He even met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a letter to him about it.