The Odisha Excise Department successfully launched its 17-phase e-Lottery process on May 5th, 2026, for the settlement of retail liquor shops for the 2026–27 excise year. This massive digital initiative covered 1,055 IMFL OFF Shops and 197 Country Liquor (CL) Shops, attracting a total of 29,018 applications (26,177 for IMFL OFF and 2,841 for CL) from across India. The process concluded with a significant collection of over Rs. 842 crores in non-refundable application fees.

NIC Odisha's Pivotal Contribution

The entire settlement process was powered by the eAbkari portal (https://stateexcise.odisha.gov.in), developed and maintained by NIC Odisha. NIC's involvement was critical at both the state and district levels:

    • Technical Framework: NIC provided the digital infrastructure for secure online application submissions and document uploads.
    • District Support: District Informatics Officers (DIOs) served as key members of Scrutiny and Lottery Committees, overseeing the verification of applicant data and technical validation.
    • Transparency & Accountability: To ensure public confidence, NIC facilitated real-time displays of lottery proceedings and immediate entry of winners into the portal. A major highlight was the mandatory screen recording of the winner-entry process to create a verifiable audit trail. In several districts, NIC also deployed technical personnel (FMS and DRM) to manage network connectivity and uninterrupted internet services.
District Highlights

District reports underscore the high level of participation and the efficiency of the digital system:

    • High Volume Districts: Puri recorded the highest number of applications at 1,791 for 54 shops, with the Konark IMFL shop alone receiving 209 applications. Other high-interest districts included Sundargarh/Rourkela (1,692 applications), Cuttack (1,587 applications), and Keonjhar (1,163 applications).
    • Large Scale Operations: Angul successfully processed 1,990 applications for 57 shops, while Kendrapara managed 1,092 applications for 64 shops.
    • Diverse Participation: Even in smaller districts like Nabarangpur, 958 applications were received for just 13 shops, demonstrating the widespread competitive interest.

The successful execution of this e-Lottery reflects a landmark achievement in digital governance, ensuring a fair, transparent, and technology-driven settlement process across the state