Alcohol Ban

Hundreds hospitalised after consuming alcoholic beverages that contained toxic methanol in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan and the western province of Hamadan

Bihar's alcohol ban in 2016 prevented 24 lakh cases of daily and weekly consumption, and 21 lakh cases of intimate partner violence, according to new research published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal. The ban is also estimated to have prevented 18 lakh men in the state from becoming overweight or obese, it said. A team of researchers, including those from The International Food Policy Research Institute, Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, US, analysed data from national and district level health and household surveys. "Strict alcohol regulation policies may yield significant population level health benefits for frequent drinkers and many victims of intimate partner violence," the authors wrote. In April 2016, the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act brought about a near complete halt on the manufacture, transport, sale, and consumption of alcohol throughout the state. The overnight launch and its strict enforcement made the ban an "attractive natural experim

States' power to legislate to regulate industrial alcohol is untrammeled and complete, the Supreme Court was told on Wednesday. Senior advocate Dinesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told a nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that "liquor" has always been in the legislative sphere of the States and the Centre does not have any jurisdiction with regard to industrial alcohol. Excise, liquor and spirit have always been part of State jurisdiction, including industrial alcohol, he said. "The Central government has not issued any order to regulate industrial alcohol as per Section 18G of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951. Therefore, there cannot be a case of conflict or occupied field. The field is unoccupied and the States' power to legislate to regulate industrial alcohol is untrammeled and complete," Dwivedi told the bench. The bench, which also comprises Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Abhay S Oka, B V Nagarathna, J

Gold, drugs, alcohol and various goods worth around Rs 140 crore and more than Rs 7 crore in cash were seized in West Bengal since the dates for the Lok Sabha polls were announced this month, an officer said Saturday. According to data released by the Election Commission, the amount of cash seized till Saturday was around Rs 7.87 crore. The EC also seized 12.7 lakh litres of alcohol with a market value of Rs 33.86 crore, he added. "Drugs weighing around 3.5 kg worth Rs 18.28 crore were also seized," he said. The poll body also seized the yellow metal worth Rs 27.32 crore during this period, the official said. "So far, we have also seized goods worth around Rs 36 crore and the total seizure is worth Rs 147.19 crore, including unaccounted cash," he added. There has been a trend of offering money and alcohol to buy votes for several years. The Election Commission has declared six Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal as 'financially sensitive'. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police, dur

The number of people holding liquor permits on health ground in Gujarat has gone up by 58 per cent in three years, as per figures of the state prohibition and excise department. As against 27,452 liquor permit holders in November 2020, Gujarat now has 43,470 permit holders, according to the data. Being the state in which Mahatma Gandhi was born, the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages have been banned in Gujarat since its formation. The state's population is estimated to be around 6.7 crore. A senior official from the prohibition department said apart from the people who have been given permits on health ground, foreign nationals and people from other states are given the permit for a maximum period of one week during their visit to Gujarat. The data revealed that Ahmedabad district was on top of the list with 13,456 liquor permits, followed by Surat (9,238), Rajkot (4,502), Vadodara (2,743), Jamnagar (2,039), Gandhinagar (1,851) and Porbandar (1,700)

In an attempt to provide "global business ecosystem" at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), the Gujarat government on Friday lifted the ban on liquor in the area, exempting it from prohibition which is in place across the state. Being the state in which Mahatma Gandhi was born, the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages have been banned in Gujarat since its formation. Such exemption had never been granted in any area of the state in the past. "GIFT City has emerged as a global financial and technological hub which is bustling with economic activities. An important decision has been taken on Friday to change rules to allow 'wine and dine' facilities in the GIFT City area to provide a global business ecosystem to global investors, technical experts and national and international companies," the state prohibition department said in a statement. "Under the new system, hotels, restaurants and clubs (existing and that will come up) in the GI

Seeks similar action from Bihar government to help end hooch tragedies and help state earn Rs 10,000 cr

United Breweries account for about 50% of the segment which AB InBev follows at around 25%, while Carlsberg is the third largest company in the space with a share of around 18%

In the last one year, the factory had manufactured around two lakh bottles of the syrup for Gujarat

Metro passengers are requested to maintain proper decorum while travelling, the DMRC said

Amid the hooch deaths in Bihar's Chhapra, with the toll currently at 72, the Saran Police on Monday launched Operation 'Clean Drive' against the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state

As many as 2,600 persons were so far booked for operating illegal liquor business in Madhya Pradesh under the state government's 'Nashamukti' operation that was launched on Friday

About 5.2 per cent of the population aged 10-75 years (about 57 million individuals) need help for alcohol abuse

Deputy Commissioner, Excise, Krishna Kumar, told reporters that the 'relaxation' was being introduced with a view to tightening the noose on the network of smugglers and peddlers

The manner in which prohibition arrests are made indicates a bias among Bihar's law enforcement agencies, said social scientist DM Diwakar. "They are arresting carriers, not businessmen," he said

Governments in India - both Central and state - must learn to separate alcohol related social issues from responsible consumption

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government also proposes to increase liquor price in bars to further discourage its consumption

The government will ensure strict enforcement of liquor prohibition, Kumar said

They also gheraoed the police station after some protesters were taken into custody

The amendments proposed to the state's prohibition law are so sweeping that they could put innocents behind bars and spur more people to crime