Banning alcohol requires political will which was absent in Maharashtra, noted social activist Prakash Amte today said, while praising Bihar for taking the "revolutionary step".
"Lot of political will is required for imposing complete ban on alcohol, which Maharashtra does not have. Bihar took this revolutionary step immediately after the new government came to power, so why can't Maharashtra do it," Amte said, speaking to reporters at Pandharpur in western Maharashtra.
Awareness campaign about ill-effects of alcohol should be initiated with active support from the government for the rural masses, said Amte, winner of Magsaysay award for his social work in the tribal-dominated and Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
Religious places get huge donations from devotees, and this money should be used to develop villages, he said.
"Today the government gives lot of impetus to (development in) villages in tribal and Naxal-affected regions. But the government schemes do not reach people," Amte said.
"If the youths get educated, they will never take up guns and become Naxals," he said.
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