Bhubaneswar: Amid speculation about liquor ban in Odisha, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Minister Nityananda Gond on Wednesday said that prohibition is essential for building a healthy society.
“Alcohol addiction is ruining lives. It is leading to distress. Our government will be looking to make Odisha free of liquor and also discourage use of narcotics. We are explore the feasibility of imposing prohibition in the state. Steps will also be taken to bring down consumption of drugs in the state. We will hold discussions in this regard with Excise and other departments and implement it in a phase-wise manner,” he told reporters while mentioning about similar bans in other states.
The Minister was speaking on the sidelines of an event organised on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking at the Convention Hall of the Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.
Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh, who was present on the occasion, added: “We can’t encourage liquor sale fearing revenue loss.”
Notably, alcohol is prohibited in the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Denying any deliberation on the proposal, the excise department, however, said there are no plans to ban liquor in the state.
Earlier this month, Information & Public Relations (I&PR) Department had debunked rumours about state-wide liquor ban from August 15 after a social media post on the same went viral. “Be aware of such fake news circulating on social media. Always focus on information provided by official sources. Please refrain from spreading such false rumours. It is illegal.”
These talks can be traced to a bold pledge made by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, during election campaigning in May, to implement country liquor ban if BJP comes to power in Odisha. “I cannot see the women of my state suffering due to country liquor consumption by men. The manufacturing and distribution of country liquor will be banned. Restriction will be imposed on its licensing and marketing,” he told a public gathering at Tileibeni block under Deogarh constituency.
