Forget revenue, go for total prohibition, says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Kottayam: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday demanded that the state government implement prohibition in Kerala in one go rather than do it in a phased manner. The Bihar Chief Minister was inaugurating the state level meet of the anti liquor committee at the Alphonsa Residential School at Bharananganam on Friday evening. “I welcome them to send a study team to Bihar to examine and evaluate the impact of Prohibition. It is our experience that the excuses of revenue loss or adverse impact on tourism or the impracticability and difficulties of implementation are not serious impediments if one is determined to implement Prohibition,” Mr Kumar said.

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar praised the Temperance Movement launched by the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC). “It is the most powerful social movement championing the cause of the eradication of drugs and alcoholism since 1998,” he said. “This movement has been effectively promoting the campaign against drugs, alcoholism for the last 19 years,” he noted. Mr Kumar said that in Bihar a major portion of the earnings of the people were wasted on alcohol.

“Bihar has achieved a double digit economic growth in the last 10 years. As a result, rural household incomes have risen significantly. It was observed that a large portion of this income of poor rural households was being wasted on alcohol. This was having an adverse impact on rural health, nutrition, domestic peace and dignity of women,” Mr Kumar said. Even adolescent boys were becoming addicted to drinking,” Mr Kumar said. Former KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran who spearheaded a movement against liquor shops in Kerala was present on the occasion. Syro Malabar Church Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry presided over the function. Changanassery Archbishop Joseph Perumthottam and KCBC Temperance Commission chairman Bishop Remigiose Inchananiyil were present on the occasion.