Counting the cost of Bihar's liquor prohibition on state's revenue, others

The alcohol ban in the state, in force for nine years now, has not impacted education spending much, but literacy outcomes leave a lot to be desired

Alcohol prohibition has been a contentious issue in India. Barring Gujarat, and to some extent Bihar, where the ban on liquor has been in place for nine years, a few states have attempted to enforce it but failed.
 

In the past, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh also imposed a ban on alcohol.
 

In Haryana, the ban lasted for 21 months, from July 1996, before being lifted by the same coalition that had imposed it — the Bansi Lal-led Haryana Vikas Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.
 

In Andhra Pradesh, the ban was in effect for a little over 26