Prohibition

Bihar's decade-old liquor ban has cost lives, drained revenues, and fuelled illicit trade-now it's a central election issue with parties divided on repeal or reform

Court slams Bihar government, says policy has become handy for police, who are working in tandem with smugglers

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)

Dry day refers to the prohibition on the sale of alcohol. Since the sale of liquor is a state subject, the laws around prohibition differ across the country

Election strategist-turned-politician, Prashant Kishor, on Thursday said prohibition in Bihar has been a complete failure but Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "does not want to accept this reality. While addressing a gathering, as a part of his 'Jan Suraaj' campaign, in Hajipur in Vaishali district on Monday, Kishor, said, The enforcement of liquor ban has totally failed in Bihar. Despite Bihar being a dry state, those who want can easily get liquor here. Therefore, prohibition in the Bihar has been a complete failure. However the Bihar chief minister "does not want to accept this reality, he added. While targeting the Bihar government, the election strategist on Thursday ran a poll on Twitter questioning the effective implementation of liquor prohibition in the state. Kishor asked respondents to give a 'yes' or 'no' answer to his poser - prohibition of liquor in Bihar has completely failed." Social media users started giving their opinion on this poll. The state government had on Apr

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the proposed amendment in Bihar's prohibition law could be flagrantly misused for settling personal scores.

He also rubbished suggestions that an exception be made on medical grounds for certified alcoholics, asserting that people spoiled their health by drinking and not by being prevented from doing so

Nitish Kumar bristled at questions being raised against his highly touted alcohol prohibition drive

LJP president Chirag Paswan attacked CM questioning the success of prohibition in Bihar as he cited a case in which a ward councillor, reportedly in an inebriated state, abused him and his father

After reducing retail outlets by 20% to 3,500 for the new excise year starting October 2019, state govt last week issued orders to cut down on the number of bars by 40% after new bar licenses are issu

Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the Centre can help states but no plans for a national level prohibition

CM states that prohibition leads to socio-legal problems and large-scale loss of lives

State after state has imposed it, and has had to retreat, unable to address the financial and administrative fallout. Are we set for more of this cycle?

Administrative action cannot remedy a social ill

Policy carries upto capital punishment to those manufacturing or trading illicit liquor