Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announces a complete ban on alcohol in Bihar Tuesday April 05,2016

Only four days after enforcing a partial liquor ban in Bihar, the Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday April 05,2016 implemented total prohibition in the state with immediate effect. 

The decision to make Bihar a dry state was taken at the state cabinet meeting during the day. 

Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the manufacturing, distribution and sale of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) would be banned across the state in keeping with the overwhelming sentiments of the people, especially women and children.

The Bihar Government had earlier banned country and spiced liquor in rural areas, but had allowed the sale of IMFL through outlets of the Bihar State Beverages Corporation Ltd (BSBCL), a state government undertaking. 

However, the opening of new outlets of BSBCL met with vociferous protests from local residents, mostly women, at many places forcing the government to rethink the issue.

“We wanted to enforce total prohibition in the second phase after creating strong public opinion against the consumption of liquor,” Nitish said. 

“But we felt in the past four days that such an atmosphere already prevailed in the state.” 

Nitish said that women, children and others protested against the opening of the new outlets in the urban centres and even prevented it at many places. 

“It has already taken the form of a social movement,” he said. 

The chief minister said that he had not set any time-frame for enforcing total prohibition earlier. 

“I was only waiting for the right atmosphere,” he said. 

“The tremendous response of the people in the last four days convinced me that it was the perfect time to enforce total prohibition.” 

Asserting that Bihar would set an example, Nitish made it clear that no licence for the sale of liquor would be given to the hotels and clubs, and only Army cantonments, which had their own way of regulating its consumption, would be out of its purview. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the companies manufacturing alcohol in Bihar would have to understand that their products would have no consumption in the state now. 

“They can manufacture their products here but they will all have to sell off their products outside Bihar from now,” he said. 

“However, they will have to transport their products in vehicles equipped with digital lock and GPS monitoring system.” 

He also said that the excise department would chalk out plans on how to dispose of the 36,000 litre of IMFL currently in stock with BSBCL. Nitish also sought to dispel the confusion on the sale of toddy. He said that his government had only enforced the guidelines set up way back in 1991 which only allowed the sale of ‘neera’ (a palm drink obtained from the trees before sunrise).

“There is no permission for sale of toddy which is obtained from palm trees after sunrise and has alcoholic properties,” he said. 

However, he said that a high-level committee headed by the Development Commissioner would suggest ways to make palm trees beneficial for the people dependent on them, as was done in Tamil Nadu. 

He said that products such as mat and baskets could be made from the palm trees and one could earn up to Rs 6,000 every year from a single tree. 

“Besides, packaged neera could be manufactured and sold as a nutritious drink on the lines of dairy products,” he said.

Note

The state Assembly on March 30,2016 unanimously passed the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Bill 2016 to enforce a ban on country-made liquor from April 01,2016

After the bill was passed, all 243 MLAs of the Assembly rose from their seats and vowed they will not consume alcohol, adding that they would discourage others from doing so too.

In November 2015,Nitish  Kumar had said that his government will enforce a ban on alcohol in the state from April 2016