RANCHI: A day after the state government ordered the closure of shops, restaurants and clubs after 8 pm until further orders, the business community in Ranchi on Wednesday claimed that the authorities have set their sights on the soft targets and had no plans to reign in the crowd at vegetable markets. “We are on the same page with the government in its fight against the pandemic. But is closing shops at 8 pm the only solution? Is there any plan to control the crowd at the vegetable markets?” FJCCI president Pravin Kumar Jain (Chabra) told TOI.
The small-time traders are miffed since their sales during evening but with the new rules in place, they are staring at losses. “Most of the business happens in the evenings as customers stay indoors due to the afternoon heat. So, there is practically three hours for business now with new rules,” Roshan Agarwal, an Upper Bazar-based apparel store owner, said.
Ranchi: India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brands are likely to become marginally cheaper in Jharkhand later this month as the state’s excise and prohibitions department has decided to rollback a the special cess it had imposed to shore up revenues during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic.
The Covid-19 cess, which was fixed at 10% of the maximum retail price, will be rolled back and the move is likely to increase the profit margin of the state’s licensed retail liquor sellers.
“The proposal to withdraw the cess has already been approved by chief minister Hemant Soren. The notification will be out by this week, after a new price list of IMFL brands are drafted based on the calculations which is to be necessitated due to the withdrawal of the special cess,” a senior officer of the state excise and prohibitions department said, requesting anonymity.