India: Rajasthan Debuts Multi-Colour Codes, Goa Adopts Tax Stamps

The Rajasthan State Excise Department has strengthened its alcohol control framework with the introduction of a new generation of tax stamps, combining enhanced physical security with upgraded digital verification. The move reflects a broader shift among Indian states towards more robust, multi-layered approaches to combating illicit trade.

Under the programme, UFlex will supply approximately three billion tax stamps annually, incorporating a range of overt, covert and machine-readable features designed to address vulnerabilities exposed in earlier systems.

The upgrade follows a series of enforcement actions, including a significant case uncovered in Jaipur, the state capital, in late 2025. While official disclosures were limited, the incident highlighted a familiar weakness: counterfeit or illicit alcohol entering the market bearing apparently valid labels. In many instances, the issue was not the absence of identifiers, but their misuse – genuine QR codes copied and reused across multiple bottles, combined with holographic elements that were sufficiently convincing to pass routine visual inspection.