Chandigarh, May 6 -- Approving the excise policy for a period of 21.5 months, the Haryana Council of Ministers on Monday decided that no liquor sub-vend will be permitted in villages having a population of 500 or less. Excise officials said the measure is aimed at promoting responsible retailing of liquor and addressing public sensitivities in small habitations. As a result of this provision, 152 existing sub-vends in over 700 villages will not operate across the state with effect from June 12. The guidelines for operation of taverns (L-52) have been made stringent. Vends in urban areas shall not be permitted to open after 4 am as against the earlier provision of 8 am, an official spokesperson said. Taverns shall operate only from enclosed premises approved by the department and would not be visible to passers-by. The policy explicitly prohibits live singing, dancing, or theatrical performances within taverns to ensure a controlled and responsible drinking environment. An official spokesperson said the new policy will be in operation from June 12, 2025 to March 31, 2027 for a period of 21.5 months, after which the future policy cycles will be aligned with the April-March financial year. The change in the cycle from June to June each year was introduced during the pandemic in 2020.The excise revenue targets set by the state government for 2025-26 is Rs.14,064 crore. The spokesperson said that excise and taxation department collected Rs.12,700 crore against the target of Rs.12,650 as excise revenue in 2024-25. It was also decided that the distance of liquor shops from bus stands, schools, colleges and religious places would now be 150 meters instead of 75 meters in the previous policy. The policy also lay down that no liquor vend should be directly visible from national or state highways. A licence fee of 4% will be levied in Gurugram, 3% in Faridabad, Sonepat and Panchkula and 1% in other districts for opening an ahata (a place for consuming liquor). While there was no area limit for ahatas in the previous policy, the new policy sets a limit of 1,000 square meters for ahatas. Stricter restrictions on advertisement of liquor have also been introduced. All forms of advertisement, including any within the licensed zone, are now explicitly prohibited. In case of violations, penalty will be Rs.1 lakh for the first offence, Rs.2 lakh for the second and Rs.3 lakh for the third offence. Any further violation will be treated as a major breach, attracting proceedings for cancellation of allotted zone. The process for obtaining temporary licenses for events (L-12A and L-12A-C) has been rationalised. In unregistered commercial venues such as banquet halls, higher licence fees will be charged for one-day license, especially in urban areas like Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula. This step aims to encourage registration while ensuring better monitoring. The policy mandates that all licensed retail vends and sub-vends prominently display warning - consumption of alcohol is injurious to health and do not drink and drive - on their signboards. The Council of Ministers also accorded approval to remit whole of stamp duty chargeable on instrument of sale or gift for purchase of land for new cowshed in the state. Besides, amendments to the Deployment of Contractual Persons Policy, 2022, have been okayed. The spokesperson said the provision related to penalties imposed by the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam has been deleted. The provisions regarding weightage for socio-economic criteria and experience have also been removed, in compliance with the order of the high court which had quashed these provisions. The maximum age limit for level-1 job roles has been increased from 58 to 60. The council approved the Haryana AI Development Project (HAIDP) for 2025-2028, with a total outlay of Rs.474 crore, to be borne by the World Bank and the Haryana government in 70:30 ratio. An official spokesperson said that the constitution of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the implementation of externally aided projects was also approved. The HAIDP is envisioned as a strategic intervention to position Haryana as a national hub for Al-enabled development. Under the Lakhmi Chand Kalakar Samajik Samman Yojana, artists who have made notable contribution will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs.10,000 as financial support from the government....