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Tripura finance minister Jishnu Dev Barman informed that the state government will issue bar licenses in the state.

โ€œMoreover, the state government will also give permission to 24 new foreign liquor shops in the state,โ€ he said.

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โ€œThe state will receive an additional revenue of Rs 15-16 crore from this initiative,โ€ Barman further said.

โ€œAs a pilot project, the bars will be opened in different hotels of the state,โ€ he informed.

โ€œThe project will continue only if it wonโ€™t harm the stateโ€™s culture,โ€ Barman was quick to add.

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โ€œThe government will follow some special rules and regulations in issuing bar licenses,โ€ Barman said.

Reacting to the decision, CPI (M) MLA Bhanu Lal Saha said, โ€œIt may help the government in earning some revenue but it will also have a social impact.โ€

โ€œThe government not just only calculate loss and profit, but it should also look at the impact of liquor in society,โ€ he added.

Saha, who served as the finance minister in the previous government, further said, โ€œCPI (M) always opposed the opening of open liquor shops in the state.โ€

He also said that from 102 liquor shops, the CPI (M) government brought it down to 81.