India, March 26 -- The Odisha government on Thursday introduced a triennial excise policy for the period April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2029, replacing the earlier system of annual policies.

Under this policy, no excise shops will be allowed to operate in the vicinity of the 12th century Jagannath Temple or along the Grand Road, the 2.6 km stretch connecting the main shrine to the Gundicha Temple in Puri.

Though no excise shops are currently operational in that zone, a few official shops selling bhang (finely ground cannabis leaves made into paste) are located in the area.

The new framework replaces the earlier annual excise policy with a three-year structure, a shift officials said is intended to bring greater predictability and transpar...