Modi must either ban alcohol or allow it in all states for same price
Delhi tourism minister Kapil Sharma on September 24 supported the demand for bringing down the age of drinking in the capital from the existing 25 years to 21. By doing so, he has raked up an issue which has been debated for ages but without any unanimity. In an age of globalisation and also when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting the “Make in India” campaign vigorously, the time is ripe to look not only at the age bar but also other aspects like pricing of liquor and prohibition afresh.
1. Age bar
According to an estimate, out of 190 countries, the minimum age for drinking is 18-19 years in as many as 115 countries. While 21 countries had set the minimum age bar at 16-17 years, two countries have it at 10-15 years and in 19 countries, including China, there is no minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). In five countries, the MLDA is 20 years whereas in 12 countries, it is 21. It is illegal to drink at any age in 16 countries.
While the highest MLDA anywhere in the world is 21, India can be considered the most conservative in this sense where it is 25 years in about six states and Union territories (UTs) including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra. In about 15 states and UTs, the minimum legal age for drinking is 21, which is the most common. In states like Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Goa, the minimum age is the lowest at 18. The states of Gujarat, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland and the Union territory of Lakshadweep follow a prohibition policy, while Kerala is moving in that direction.
Hence, a person hopping from one state to another in India will have the same experience as a globetrotter. India is surely a mini-world in this sense!
The Delhi minister is, in fact, being humble when supporting a demand to lower the legal age for drinking to 21 years. It may be hackneyed but it has been argued, and rightly so, by several sections of the society for long that at the age of 18 when one is held to be responsible enough to choose an MLA or an MP, obtain a driving licence, marry (in case of a woman), have consensual sex (in case of a man) and smoke, one can surely be mature enough to hold his or her drinks.
And why only Delhi? There should be a uniform policy throughout the country. All states should fix the minimum age at 18. Do people in states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab mature later than in the other states? Conversely, are people in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Goa are more responsible in holding their drinks? Keeping the revenue aspect aside, there should be a uniform policy structure across India, as in the US.
If the government has any issues, it can educate the people and launch a campaign on responsible drinking as it does on driving, safe sex (AIDS) and voting. But it should surely do away with the antiquated law.
2. Prohibition
Gujarat is one of the four states which has been following the prohibition policy for several decades to uphold Gandhian values. Prohibition in this BJP-ruled state is a sham. Liquor is freely available to those who want to have it. Bootleggers are available throughout the state to slip bottles in your car or even deliver them to your home for free. Truckloads of liquor crates enter from neighbouring Maharashtra and Rajasthan after the palms of road transport, excise, police and other government officials are greased.
This certainly causes loss to the state exchequer and encourages illegal trade in the state as the liquor mafia thrives. What is worse, one has to pay exorbitant prices for even inferior brands while the superior ones are sold at astronomical prices. The availability of illicit liquor is also a result of the prohibition policy. No one has died after consuming licensed liquor but several lives have surely been lost in hooch tragedies.
Ironically, with Modi as the Gujarat chief minister, the state had demanded a compensation package of Rs 3,000 crore for prohibition in the state. Why should any government consider it a loss if it is following a Gandhian value?
3. Price
A bottle of beer sells for Rs 65 in Goa, Rs 70 in Delhi, Rs 90 in Haryana, Rs 150 in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 160 in Mumbai. The price of the same brand of beer costs differently in different parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). For instance, people entering from Noida (in Uttar Pradesh) and thronging liquor shops just a couple of kilometres away in New Ashok Nagar (in Delhi) to get cheap liquor is a common sight and of common knowledge.
The problem will not be solved even if the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is implemented because the states have so far opposed the inclusion of alcoholic beverages in it. The Centre should devise a method to make the pricing of alcohol uniform throughout the country, as has been proposed in the case of petroleum products.
There has also been a valid demand to have different tax structures for light drinks like wine and beer and the hard ones like whisky, vodka and rum. If the lighter drinks are taxed low, it will encourage consumers to opt for them instead of hard drinks.
Therefore, either the Centre should ban alcohol or implement a uniform policy throughout the country. In its absence, licence raj in the name of regulation is getting perpetuated. Reviewing the liquor policy will also spur Modi’s “Make in India” initiative as more and more multinational companies will find the atmosphere conducive to invest in India.