Karnataka proposes to hike beer prices again; Second increase in four months
Bengaluru: Just days after raising diesel tax, power tariff, and milk prices, the Karnataka government has now proposed a hike in beer prices—the second time in four months.
The state government, in a draft notification, has proposed to increase the Additional Excise Duty (AED) on beer by 10 percent and this could lead to an increase in beer prices by up to Rs 50 per bottle, Deccan Herald quoted its sources as saying.
It has also decided to do away with a fixed Rs 130 excise duty for lower-end beers and going forward, 205 percent AED will apply to all beer brands.
“Beer prices in most of our neighbouring states are higher than ours. Hence, there was some potential to increase the revenue by increasing the prices,” DH quoted an official as saying.
However, the official noted that the government is unlikely to raise beer prices again in the near future, given the recent back-to-back hikes.
While the exact price hike will vary by brand, sellers believe it could lead to a drop in sales. According to a brewery owner from North Bengaluru, sales have already declined significantly due to the previous price hike. While beer sales are typically high during the summer, this year has seen a noticeable drop.
The excise department issued the draft notification on Tuesday, giving citizens seven days to file their objections.
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Karnataka to witness heavy rain for next 10 days
Bengaluru: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the southwest monsoon will cause heavy rainfall likely this weekend and will drench Karnataka over the next 10 days.
The monsoon has begun retreating from northwestern India. Conditions remain active over the south, with an upper air trough extending up to 1.5 km over North Interior Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu, combined with weakening monsoon winds across the peninsula, is driving the current spell. N. Puviarasan, head of the IMD’s meteorological centre in Bengaluru, said in a conversation with Deccan Herald, “As a result, the whole of Karnataka will see rain over the next week to 10 days."
With a cyclone in the Pacific Ocean along with a low-pressure system over the north Bay of Bengal, the monsoon is expected to intensify during the next four days. IMD has predicted heavy rains across South Interior Karnataka, including Bengaluru, throughout the weekend.
Bengaluru, recorded widespread moderate to heavy rainfall on Thursday. Between 8.30 am and 8.30 pm, Bengaluru city logged 45.9 mm of rain accompanied by thunderstorms. HAL airport registered 6 mm and the Bengaluru Urban automatic station recorded 47.5 mm. Doddathoguru, near Electronics City, reported 55 mm.
According to IMD forecast heavy rainfall will occur at isolated places in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Yadgir, Koppal, Raichur, Ramanagara and Mandya districts in the next few days.
The southwest monsoon is now expected to extend until mid-October and with little or no break in between, the northeast monsoon is likely to follow immediately. These are expected to last until December. “There may be no break in between,” Puviarasan said.
