Bhubaneswar: Over 7,800 gm of brown sugar and 20,478 kg of ganja were seized in separate raids across the state between 2017 and 2019, informed Excise Minister Niranjan Pujari on Monday.
In a written reply to a question raised by Jashipur MLA Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia of the BJP, Puhari said that Odisha police and excise officials have intensified such raids to track down people dealing with contraband in the past couple of years.
A total of 852 cases have been registered and 923 persons arrested during the same period, he added.
To a query on liquor consumption, Pujari said the state government intends to ensure that “safe and good quality liquor” is available at “affordable prices” to people habituated to alcohol.
The Odisha State Beverages Corporation had given Rs 1 lakh to every district to educate people on on the harmful effects of alcohol consumption, this fiscal.
The SSEPD Department had sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the same during 2016-17, Pujari added.
