New Delhi : Bihar on Thursday joined the states that have banned liquor, with newly-elected Chief Minister Nitish Kumar prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol from April 1, 2016. But experts feel the decision should be “participatory” and not a “political agenda”.
Gujarat, Nagaland, Manipur (in some parts) and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep have banned liquor while Kerala has since August 2014 been implementing the ban in a phased manner.
In Bihar, Nitish, who had promised to ban liquor before the state Assembly elections, made the announcement at an official function to mark Prohibition Day in the state capital.
He said the poorest of the poor had been consuming liquor, badly hitting their families and their children’s education. “Women are suffering more than anyone else due to increasing liquor consumption,” he said.
The ban on liquor in different states of the country has not produced the desired results as the decision was not “participatory” in nature and “forced” people to get involved in illegal production and consumption of liquor, experts believe.
Suneel Vatsyayan, chairman, Nada India Foundation, which works for the betterment of alcohol- and drug-addicted people, said: “A ban on alcohol needs public participation. It must not just be a one-man decision or a political agenda.” As soon as the ban is imposed on alcohol, the state should be ready with a plan to deal with thousands of consumers who must have got into the habit of consuming liquor on day-to-day basis, and might need medical attention to do away with it, he said.
http://www.freepressjournal.in/bihar-liquor-ban-should-be-participatory-experts/
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