In what could be the first out of shopping malls and airports in the country, liquor shops in Jharkhand are getting ready, at least in principle, to add cashless mode of payment in future soon.
A senior Excise department official said on Friday that the obstacles, practical or man-made, in the way of enforcement of cashless mode of payments at liquor shops have disappeared after the government took over operation of liquor shops from August this year and enrollment of at least one mode of cashless payment was only a matter of time.
“We are in process of switching over our supply chain of liquor from warehouse to shops over online. And I am sure we will be able to track activities right from inventory at warehouse to sold-out units at shops in at least capital city from anytime this year itself. After we have finished it, installation of electronic mode of payment like card swipe machines at shops will be seriously considered as it is the need of the hour,” said Excise Commissioner Vinod Shanker Singh on Friday.
Notably, cashless mode of payment in liquor shops is not an unusual practice at those shops in shopping mall premises in National capital, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and few other metro-sized cities apart from couple of airport shops. But liquor shops have remained one of the only cash transaction businesses in country since ages due to various reasons.
Moreover, the department is also eyeing at resolving issue of non-dispensation of bills demanded by the customers, through installation of online mode of payment. “There were two-three key issues behind these largely accepted malpractices at liquor shops. First and foremost, frankly speaking, was that liquor customers have been taken for granted by the shopkeepers who firm stand on their belief, and rightly so in most cases, that the customer is needy. Secondly, shopkeepers were bound to their targets of sale, and major fraction of their employees’ cost came from over-pricing. After the government took over, issues of the target and livelihood of employees have been fairly addressed. So, now even shopkeepers have no objection in installing card swipe machines,” added Singh.
He, however, added that the number of such customers willing to pay through credit/debit cards might remain low. “Because of the assumed vulnerability of card details from such places, share of cashless transaction at liquor shops might not remain considerable in initial months. However, the government is in principle ready for the same as far as providing a mode of payment is concerned, and I don’t see even any hassle in this,” said Singh.