It has been decided not to issue any more liquor licences

in the state, the chief minister said. He also refuted the allegation about growth in liquor consumption and said that per carton consumption in Bihar stood at 15 cartons against 100 in Delhi even as the coverage of liquor shops per one lakh people stood at five against 42 in Karnataka. The CM, however, candidly admitted, that illicit liquor was being sold by small shops called 'Parchunia' and supplied by unlicensed manufacturers by using spurious materials, including highly dangerous industrial spirit. The state government has launched a drive against those illicit liquor manufactures and busted their units, besides arrested and seized properties of these people, he said. During his nearly two-hour long speech, Kumar hit back at the opposition for putting his government on dock on "deteriorating law and order situation and failure to optimally utilise allocation under plan outlay". He defended himself saying crime figures like murder, dacoity, robbery and kidnapping for ransom has ebbed during the NDA rule as comparison to the corresponding data during the RJD-led rule during which kidnapping had become an industry. Measures like scientific investigation, speedy chargesheet and trial of the criminals cases, including those related to corruption, have been fast tracked to usher in a peaceful law and order situation and deter those taking to crimes, he said. The state government has hit another novel idea to deal with crime by seeking cancellation of bails of hardened criminals, besides confiscate their properties amassed through corrupt, ill gotten and criminal means, the CM said. The enforcement directorate have been involved in the task and the corrupt people have been dealt with under the prevention of Money Laundering Act, CM added. On utilisation of the allocation under the annual plan outlay, the NDA government has ensured optimisation of the funds during a financial year and results have been positive as comparison to the RJD-led rule during which the then government was unable to use the funds properly, he claimed.