No blanket ban on booze in state: Finance Minister

Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has dismissed the idea of a blanket ban on country liquor across the state, on the lines of Bihar. However, he said the state could consider implementing the Tamil Nadu model of allowing only state-branded liquor that is approved by government to be sold. Maharashtra currently earns Rs 13,500 crore in revenue from liquor.

Mr Mungantiwar, who had followed up on the issue of alcohol prohibition in his district, Chandrapur, made it clear that the Maharashtra government does not plan to implement complete prohibition in other parts of the state. “We will consider individual cases if demand arises from the people. But, we won’t go in for complete prohibition,” he said.

Nationalist Congress Party MLC Prakash Gajbhiye, on the other hand, has demanded that local and international brands of alcohol be prohibited altogether in the state. “Bihar decided to ban alcohol across the state and let go of around Rs 3,000 crore in revenue that could have been collected. If a small state like Bihar could do it, why can’t a progressive one like Maharashtra ” Mr Gajbhiye asked.

Explaining the various aspects of the issue, Mr Mungantiwar said excise revenue, the economics of the sugar industry, health issues involved with alcohol consumption and the pressure from NGOs and activists like Anna Hazare had to be taken into consideration before taking any decision in this regard. “The state gets excise revenue of around Rs 13,000 crore every year. Officials have said that if we adopt the Tamil Nadu pattern and ban country liquor, it might increase,” he said.

Tamil Nadu has banned country liquor and replaced it with cheaper versions of foreign liquor that are branded by the state. The Tamil Nadu government solely owns all the liquor shops in the state and receives Rs 23,000 crore in revenue annually from them, the minister said.

Country liquor is available for about Rs 47 a bottle in Maharashtra while Tamil Nadu’s branded liquor is priced at about Rs 52 a bottle.

Meanwhile, Amrit Kiran Singh, chairman of the International Spirits & Wines Association Of India (ISWAI), rubbished the idea of prohibition in the state.

“Prohibition of alcohol is not an appropriate solution; moreover, it has affected state tourism to a large extent,” Mr Singh said.

Local body elections are to be held this year and most political parties have mentioned alcohol prohibition in their manifestos as a populist measure to appease women voters, he claimed. He added that prohibition was an unviable proposition for state governments as it would impact the exchequer while failing to curb crime.