India, Oct. 1 -- A draft excise policy for Delhi has been sent to the Union government for approval after chief minister Rekha Gupta and a ministerial committee cleared it, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday. The policy is expected to go through the remaining approval process and is likely to be implemented this month, ahead of Diwali, they added.

The draft policy comes four years after the controversy over the previous 2021-22 framework, which was withdrawn in 2022 amid allegations of procedural irregularities and corruption. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate investigated the case.

In February, a Delhi court discharged former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Ma...