MEA withdraws duty-free liquor facility to US envoys to India soon after Khobragade row

NEW DELHI: After cancelling the Nepal visit, probably over her fear of frisking at the Delhi airport, the US envoy Nancy Powell may have to cancel a few embassy parties.

She is now all set to lose her quota of duty free spirits: 30 cases a quarter. The Devyani Khobragade incident has hit the US embassy hard this New Year, especially the partying lot.

They may have to shell out 250 per cent-300 per cent more at the ‘wine and beer’ outlets for the same international brands, which were flowing at duty-free rates.

India was all along unilaterally helping American diplomats consume duty-free spirits, without the US offering such concessions to Indian diplomats. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), invoking reciprocity, withdrew the facility of duty-free liquor to American diplomats posted in India from the third week of December, soon after Khobragade was arrested in alleged violation of Vienna Convention.

However, there was no spirit crunch during Christmas as the American diplomats had used up their quota for October-December to stock up. It will start pinching American diplomats from this month onwards.

Any Ambassador posted in India is allotted 30 cases of dutyfree liquor (five cases of hard drinks and 25 cases of light drinks), provided the total cost does not exceed Rs 85,000.

Junior diplomats could also consume a considerable amount of dutyfree spirits, government sources told ET.

Duty-free liquor is either directly imported or sourced through suppliers registered with bonded warehouses in Delhi, said sources. The quota varies on the basis of rank of diplomats. A diplomat of the level of minister-counselor in any embassy in Delhi including the American embassy is allotted three cases of hard drinks and 17 cases of light drinks per quwarter not exceeding a total cost of Rs 65,000.

A counselor has a duty-free quota of two cases of hard drinks and 14 cases of light drinks per quarter costing less than Rs 51,000. Besides these quotas, every embassy is allotted duty-free liquor on its respective national day and the quantity on such occasions match the quota given to the ambassador for one quarter.