Jammu, June 2 -- In a major policy shift, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved a new excise policy aimed at dismantling the region's long-standing liquor restrictions to combat a rising narcotics crisis. The administration is completely overhauling its supply chain from a restrictive system to an open market. The most notable expansion is a 10-fold increase in retail outlets, jumping from just two operational vends in the entire union territory to 20, distributed via e-auction.

The policy ends a ban on retail hard liquor sales. Previously restricted to selling only beer, wine, and low-alcohol ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, retail outlets are now authorised to sell foreign liquor and Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL...