bareilly the up excise department has made aadhaar number mandatory for applying for a liquor shop licence officials said that after a gap of over 10 years the government has decided to issue licence to individual applicants unlike the previous government when one particular company was issued the licence to run liquor shops across the state according to officials while lawyers cannot apply for licence those running liquor shops cannot appoint women as salespersons bareilly district excise officer sushil kumar mishra said ldquofor two consecutive financial years 20089 and 200910 the wave group got the licence to run all wine shops in the state in the following years while different companies ran wine shops in up they were believed to be sister concerns of the same group for the current financial year too the contract for wholesale marketing of all kinds and brands of foreign liquor is with flora fauna ltd while accurate foods and beverages pvt ltd is managing retailing both are sister concerns of the wave grouprdquo the deo said that the change in policy would be beneficial for government in terms of revenue generation as well as for the consumers as they would able to get a great variety of foreign liquor ldquotill now there was a kind of monopoly on brands available in the market now the new policy will encourage the competition among wine shop owners that will benefit the consumersrdquo mishra said according to excise officials interested people can apply online till february 20 to get the licence for the wine shop for the 201819 financial year an applicant will have to give an affidavit stating that he or any of his family members does not have a criminal background the applicants will also have to give a character certificate issued by the senior superintendent of police besides no such person will be hired as a salesman who has been found guilty of a crime in past ldquoany woman or man younger than 21 years of age canrsquot be hiredrdquo the deo said