Maharashtra govt raises drinking age

Maharashtra already has complete prohibition in Wardha and Gadchiroli districts and this policy seeks to eradicate hooch and effectively control legal liquor. Chavan said they were trying to seek co-ordination between the excise and social justice departments and added that while the state excise department generated revenues from liquor sales,the other side was that it promoted a drinking culture and hence a middle path was sought to be drawn. Chavan said “there was a moral dilemma here” and added that he did not say that it was a “perfect policy.”

Chavan said some states in the south had set up a corporation to sell Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). He added that in order to crack down on illicit liquor,responsibility would be fixed on the senior officials of the police station concerned and the state excise department.

In case 25 per cent women from a gram panchayat area or a municipal ward seek closure of a liquor vend in their area,it is incumbent on the district collectorate to hold a secret voting on the issue,and the vend will be closed down in case 50 per cent of the women vote against it.

Pointing to the social effects of alcohol,Social Justice Minister Shivajirao Moghe said a survey of a southern state revealed that 40 per cent of accidents and 90 per cent divorces were linked to alcohol consumption. “The law cannot help reduce deaddiction,transformation of minds is necessary,” he said.