MIYC flays lifting of liquor prohibition
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 13 2023:
Contending that revocation of the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991 by the state government with an aim to collect revenue and legalising production, sale, consumption and import of liquor will have adverse impact on health of the people, Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) contended that the decision of the state cabinet was a wrong move.
In a press communique, MIYC said that approach of the government is in total contradiction to its campaign for eradicating drugs from the state and upholding interest of only a few people who would be benefitting from liquor business.
While accusing the government of making a mockery of the efforts being made by women's organisations to make Manipur a drug free state, MIYC said that the government is considering the few crores of rupees (600 to 700) it would collect in a year through legalisation of liquor and aiding few businessmen in the process.
"It is not the right step to legalise liquor when the union government has launched the "Nasa Mukh Bharat" and Manipur government is intensifying "War on drugs" campaign.
While recalling the passing of the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991 in-spite of being aware that the Excise Department would lose revenue of Rs 400 crore annually, MIYC pointed out that the December 6 decision to lift the ban was made by the cabinet without any discussion in the state assembly.
Referring to a report Magnitude of Substance Use in India, 2019' published by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, it further stated that Manipur is among the drug centres of the world and ranked third among the highest liquor consuming state in India.
Moreover, according to the National Family Health Survey, 2015 report, 52.6 percent of the population in Manipur drink liquor while consumption of liquor among the female population has risen to 6.1 percent, MIYC added.