Nitish Kumar pitches for nationwide liquor ban, says Bihar a role model state for prohibition

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday pitched for a nationwide ban on alcohol, saying it is necessary from social, religious and scientific points of view. He also said that there was no adverse impact on the state government’s revenue due to ban on liquor.
Addressing a national convention on “Liquor-free India” at ISKCON Auditorium in Delhi, he said Bihar has emerged a role model by putting ban on sale and consumption of alcohol as delegations from many states have been visiting the state (Bihar) to study its prohibition policy.
“Separate study teams of the excise department and other institutions from Karnataka came to Bihar in 2017, from Chhatisgarh in 2018 and Rajasthan in December 2019. These study teams visited different parts of Bihar and closely monitored implementation of liquor ban at the grass-root level. These visiting teams appreciated all the efforts taken by Bihar government for effective ban on sale and consumption of liquor. It led to raising of demand for liquor ban in different parts of the country,” Nitish, who is also the JD(U) chief said, amidst clapping from the audience.
The national convention, organized by the Milita Odisha Nisha Nibaran Abhiyan (MONNA), was attended by anti-liquor campaigners and social activists from different states.
Nitish further said since voices for putting a Bihar-like ban on liquor were being raised in different parts of the country, big liquor traders were afraid. “Taking a cue from Bihar, people have started raising demand for ban on liquor in different states,” he said.
Bihar government has imposed complete ban on manufacturing, sale and consumption of liquor since April 2016.
“In Bihar, we are committed to ensure the policy of ‘development with justice’. We are not going to compromise on this policy at any cost. But I strongly feel that unless the society is made free of the social evils like liquor, dowry and child marriage; poor people will not get the benefits of development,” Nitish said.
Bihar CM further cited the latest findings of the World Health Organization (WHO) to support his government move to enforce total prohibition in the state.
Quoting the WHO’s global status report on alcohol and health, published in 2018, Nitish said around 30 lakh people died because of harmful use of alcohol globally in 2016. It was 5.3% of all deaths in the world that year.
He also pointed out that alcohol consumption causes death and disability relatively early in life. In the age group 20–39 years, 13.5 % of the total deaths in the world were alcohol-related.
The Rajya Sabha’s deputy chairperson and JD(U) member Harivansh, well known Gandhian social activist Radha Bhatt, the MONNA president and former Odisha legislator Padam Charan Nayak also addressed the convention. All the speakers lauded Bihar CM for enforcing total prohibition in the state.