GIFT City relaxes prohibition rules: permits get easier, outsiders too can consume liquor
Updated: Apr 21st, 2025
With the Gujarat government relaxing the implementation of the prohibition rule for liquor permits on the GIFT City campus, visitors too will be able to consume liquor.
Now, employees and visitors at companies in GIFT City will be allowed to consume alcohol under more liberal rules.
Under the revised policy, employees of GIFT City companies seeking liquor permits can now submit Form A-1 directly to an authorised officer, eliminating the previously required step of going through a ‘Recommending Officer’.
With the elimination of the recommending officer requirement, liquor permits may now be issued even under the names of employees who haven’t applied for them. Earlier, companies were required to keep a record of how many of their employees had applied for permits, with verification done by senior officials like the HR head, PRO, or other responsible officers.
Since each permit holder can invite five guests, even collecting 15–20 permits could be allowed for parties of over 100 people.
According to an order issued by the Gujarat Home Department on April 15, 2025, conditions (10), (11), and (14) of the earlier order from December 30, 2023, regarding liquor serving in GIFT City, have been amended. As per the new condition (10), an employee of a GIFT City-based company must fill out Form-1 and submit it to the authorised officer to obtain a liquor access permit. The officer will verify the employment details and issue the liquor access card based on the information.
When the Gujarat government permitted liquor service in GIFT City in December 2023, it was expected that alcohol would flow freely, but that didn’t happen. In the 16 months since, only 470 litres of wine, 3,324 litres of liquor, and 19,195 litres of beer have been sold — a very low volume. This resulted in minimal revenue for the government. According to police officials, liquor prices in GIFT City are too high, which is why sales within GIFT City remain low, as per reports.
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