Gujarat lifts liquor ban in GIFT City ahead of ‘Vibrant Gujarat Summit’
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New Delhi: The Gujarat government on Friday made a significant decision to exempt its touted GIFT City area in Gandhinagar from liquor prohibition.
The relaxation for ban on liquour use in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City( GIFT City) comes three weeks before the 10th three-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
The Gujarat government linked the reason for the change to ‘purpose to provide a global business ecosystem’ in the area, The Indian Express reported
GIFT City, a sprawling business area covering 886 acres with 261-acre Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and 625-acre Domestic Tariff Area (DTA), hosts the country’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
Prominent corporate such as IBM, Bank of America, HSBC, Oracle, Beefree, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, PWC have set up their offices in the area.
It is reported that Australia’s Deakin University in GIFT City is likely to open an offshore campus during the summit here.
The state’s prohibition and excise department said 'Under the new policy, hotels, restaurants and clubs in the GIFT City area will be given permits for wine and dine facilities.'
The department’s directive added that liquor can be consumed in these facilities but they will not be allowed to sell liquor bottles.
It also stated that ‘GIFT City has emerged as a global financial and technological hub which is bustling with economic activities. An important decision has been taken on Friday to change the prohibition rules to allow ‘wine and dine’ facilities in the GIFT City area to provide a global business ecosystem to global investors, technical experts and national and international companies established there.’
The government now allows what it said ‘officials working in GIFTY City area and their official’ access to ‘hotels, restaurants and clubs for wine and dine facilities’.
‘All employees and owners of GIFT City will be provided liquor access permit, using which they can consume liquor. Besides this, persons authorised by the companies or their visitors can consume liquor in the presence of regular employees using a temporary permit,” the department stated.