Restaurant aggregators Swiggy and Zomato have started delivering alcohol in Jharkhand from May 21. Both competitors have enabled online processing and home delivery of alcohol through a new category on the respective apps.

Both Swiggy and Zomato have started offering the service in Ranchi today after obtaining necessary approvals from the Jharkhand government. The service will be extended to other major cities in the state within a week.

"With due permissions and licences in place, we are starting home delivery of alcohol in Jharkhand. We believe that a technology-enabled home delivery based solution can enable responsible consumption of alcohol as well as provide an option that’s safer and promotes social distancing. We will go live in Ranchi later today and 7 other cities in Jharkhand over the next couple of days," a company spokesperson at Zomato, told CNBC-TV18.

Swiggy said on Thursday that it was in advanced stages of discussion with multiple state governments to provide delivery of alcohol, and added that it can enable the same immediately by leveraging its existing technology, logistics infrastructure, and nationwide presence.

To ensure safe delivery of alcohol and in compliance with applicable laws, Swiggy and Zomato have been asked to introduce measures such as mandatory age verification and user authentication to complete deliveries. Customers can complete their instant age verification by uploading a picture of their valid government ID.

First Published:May 21, 2020 4:10 PM IST