Just four days after ushering in partial prohibition, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday sprang a major surprise and announced total prohibition in Bihar with immediate effect.
Now, the Indian Made Foreign liquor (IMFl), which was earlier planned to be sold at limited Government-controlled outlets in urban areas, has been totally banned. The Bihar Government will incur an annual revenue loss of Rs 4,000 crore by declaring Bihar a dry State.
A Cabinet meeting chaired by Nitish Kumar approved total prohibition and soon after the decision, all IMFl outlets that were getting ready for business were shut down.
Giving credit to women and anti-liquor activists who for the past few days had been protesting against the opening of IMFl shops in municipal areas, the CM said, “I had been waiting for this positive atmosphere in favour of total prohibition and now I have no qualms in declaring total ban on liquor.”
On March 31, the State legislature had passed the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2016 unanimously and from April 1, country-made and spice liquors were totally banned in rural areas. The move received overwhelming support of the people, particularly women, in the State. The Government had planned to sell IMFl in
municipal areas through 655 outlets. However, the outlets could not be opened due to public protests.
Welcoming the Gover-nment’s decision, former Deputy CM and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said his party was in favour of total prohibition and the Government had to succumb to pressure
and change its policy. He promised all help in implementing the ban.
With Bihar going dry, the State has joined the club of States like Gujarat, Mizoram and Nagaland. In Bihar a similar attempt, though is haste and without preparation, had been taken in 1977-78 by then Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur at the behest of then Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
“We had resolved total prohibition in our Excise policy and decided to ban IMFl in the second phase. But a very positive atmosphere was created following the mass awareness campaign in which women and schoolchildren played a lead role. Prior to the April 1 ban, 12.58 lakh litres of country liquor was seized and destroyed. As many as 4,933 people were arrested under the new Excise policy which provides for stringent punishment,” said Nitish.
“We took this decision today after the public came out in protest against the opening of IMFl shops. The ban has been imposed with immediate effect in all big and small hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs, with the exception of Army canteens. The Excise Department will not issue licenses anymore,” he said and expressed confidence that Bihar will become a model for other States.
He reiterated the policy on toddy, in force since 1991, will continue. The policy bans sale and consumption of toddy near bazaars, hospitals, railway and bus stations, band stand, highways, religious places, educational institutions and petrol pumps in both rural and urban areas.
Instead of toddy, the Government will promote Neera (unadulterated and un-fermented palm juice), extracted before sunrise. Kumar said a federation on the lines of cooperative milk federations would be formed involving unions and federations engaged in toddy trade. A committee under the Development Commissioner will soon be constituted with the industry department as the nodal agency.