Manipur among leading liquor consuming states: Report
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 25 2022: In-spite of being 'dry state' for a long time, at least 47.9 percent of Manipur's population above 15 years of age consume liquor with Bishnupur district topping the chart in highest number of male liquor consumers, says report of the National Family Health Survey-5 .

As per report of the Health Survey-5 released in 2021, the high percentage of consumption of liquor was found during survey for the same conducted in nine selected districts of the state.

The figure puts Manipur above states which do not have liquor prohibition Act in the chart of most liquor consuming states of the country and this is despite the state's declaration of 'dry state' for a long time, the report mentioned.

The report said that 1.8 percent of state's women population of above 15 years of age settling in urban areas consume liquor while 1.4 percent of such women in rural areas consume liquor thereby averaging 1.6 percent.

On the other hand, 42.2 percent of male population above 15 years of age living in urban areas consume liquor while 52.1 percent of such population in rural areas consume liquor thereby averaging 47.9 percent.

Among the nine districts where the survey was conducted, Bishnupur topped the chart in having highest concentration of male drinkers at 44.3 percent of the total male population above 15 years of though only 0.8 percent of women population of the district was found to consume liquor.

Imphal West district topped the chart in terms of most liquor consuming male population in the said age group in urban areas at 39.3 percent but the district is at the bottom of the chart among women consumers at 0.5 percent only.

In Imphal East district, 36.1 percent of male population was found to consume liquor with women consumers making up 0.8 percent of the total female population.

Among the valley districts, Thoubal has 1 percent women liquor consumers and 34.1 percent male liquor consumers in the same category of population.

Compared to valley districts, hill districts have higher women liquor consumers as 2.2 percent of female population of over 15 years of age in Tamenglong district were found to consume liquor whereas the district was at the bottom of the chart among male consumers of the same category of population.

Corresponding figure for male and female liquor consumers of Churachandpur district is 1.2 percent and 38.1 percent, and Chandel district 1.2 percent and 39.1 percent.

The same survey also found that 1.2 percent of female population over 15 years of age in Senapati district consume liquor while male liquor consumers of the district in the same age category constituted 35.1 percent of the total population of the district.

The report of the survey also mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Telangana, Goa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tripura and Manipur are leading liquor consuming states of the country.

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