Should this be called progress or degradation of the country? In spite of serious harm to health due to alcoholism, discord in family and increase in crimes, the number of drinkers continues to grow and at the same time there has been a record increase in the sale of alcohol.
Who will say that this is the country where Mahatma Gandhi called alcoholism a great sin and on his instructions, Congressmen used to sit on Dharna in front of liquor shops.
Drinking alcohol is also not right from the moral point of view. Every year a large number of alcoholics die due to liver damage, but the addiction to alcohol is increasing.
The fact is shocking that in the last one year, people consumed 4.75 billion bottles of 750 ml liquor.
This is 12 percent more than its previous financial year. The poor drink alcohol to forget their sorrows, while others drink for the sake of hobby.
According to the report, the premium portfolio accounted for 20 per cent of the whiskey sold last year. Meaning that every 5th bottle of whiskey was of premium category. Last year such sales were not seen in this category.
The growth in premium products was fastest with their portfolio now accounting for a fifth of all whiskey sold in India.
According to the report, the sale of White Spirit has increased rapidly at this time. Last year, an 11 per cent increase was registered in the sale of whiskey and brandy, while there was an increase of 18 per cent in the sale of rum. Vodka sales increased by 25% and Gin sales increased by 65%. Both of these are white spirits.
Notably Alcoholic liquor has been expressly excluded from the purview of GST laws.
One reason for the non-applicability of GST was to ensure that states’ revenues from the sale of liquor were not affected.
Sale of alcohol is one of the easiest ways for individual states to generate revenues, given the other transactions in goods and services as well as public and private transport will stay limited.
Club or pub culture has increased drinking. The bar is crowded. Business talk or business deal happens with drinking . Whenever a dry day comes, before that people buy bottles in advance.
Parties or gatherings do not happen without alcohol. Somewhere it is such a situation that the person who is not a drinker is considered backward or hypocritical.
In the states where liquor has been banned, there are incidents of death of people due to consumption of illegal adulterated liquor.
Smuggling of liquor is done indiscriminately. Despite the increase in the price, there is no dearth of drinkers.
The demand for liquor has increased in Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, UP Kerala even in small Northeastern state like Tripura.
The government may be of any state, it means earning revenue.
The rate at which alcoholism is increasing will have an impact on medical services. There will also be an increase in crimes committed in the state of intoxication.
Apart from this, accidents caused by drunk driving are also a matter of concern.
