In this Corona period, the concern of the government should be to save the employment of the people. Along with saving their lives, efforts should be made to keep them healthy. But it is surprising that the government is engaged in increasing the income from alcohol!
The government which could not deliver medicines to the people during the corona epidemic, will deliver liquor to the people’s homes. The logic behind this by the Delhi government is that this will save people from queuing up at liquor shops during the epidemic, the government’s income will increase due to the increase in the sale of liquor, it will serve the people of Delhi. The government is concerned about increasing the income from alcohol, but there is no time to rein in the rapidly spreading drug addiction in Delhi. In order to increase the sale of liquor in the new excise policy, 838 old shops are being closed and new shops are being opened.
Delhi government is getting five thousand crore rupees revenue from liquor. In March 2021, when the New Excise Policy was introduced by the Delhi Government, which, among other changes, decided to reduce the age of liquor buyers from twenty-five years to twenty-one years, the government was estimating that this new excise policy would generate income from alcohol. About two thousand crore rupees will increase. On the other hand, the budget of the Prohibition Board has been reduced to one crore rupees. If the sale of liquor is to be given priority, then the liquor prohibition should be closed. Whereas earlier it was decided that one percent of the income from liquor would be spent on propaganda against alcohol.
Earlier, hoardings of Mahatma Gandhi were put up everywhere in the city, on which Gandhi’s statement ‘alcohol destroys both body and soul’ was written. Mahatma Gandhi had said that which means are being used for the end, it has a direct effect on its result. What kind of society is the Aam Aadmi Party’s government in Delhi creating by making people sick by bringing alcohol from house to house, offering their capital to alcohol in the crisis of this corona epidemic. Is this a new kind of politics? Prohibition movements were launched in the country. People said that we need education not alcohol.
The excise policy prohibits opening of liquor shops within a hundred yards of the temple and other shrines or schools. Now when liquor will be delivered from door to door, then what is the point of such restriction. It is alleged that to benefit some liquor companies, the government has decided to do home delivery of liquor. It is being said that a large number of people will get employment by delivering liquor from door to door. Similar absurd arguments were given years ago when our ‘Lok Abhiyan’ organization was running a movement to stop the ‘lottery’. It was then being said that thousands of people would lose their jobs due to the closure of the lottery. Not only this, the government gets a lot of revenue from lotteries, public works are done from it. In 1997, the then Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral promulgated an ordinance to stop lotteries, and in 1998, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Center completely banned lotteries by bringing a bill in Parliament.
Had there been a question of earning revenue, there would not have been a permanent ban on liquor in Mahatma Gandhi’s home state Gujarat. The NDA government of a backward state like Bihar banned alcohol from April 2016. People kept demanding the removal of prohibition on the basis of state’s plight and smuggling of liquor etc., but the government did not change its intention. In Haryana too, Chaudhary Banshilal had banned liquor, but the liquor mafia did not allow him to succeed. Scientists believe that intoxication also has a role in the spread of corona. The Arvind Kejriwal government itself had imposed a seventy percent cess on liquor on May 5, 2020, during the Corona epidemic last year. But within a month, on June 9, 2020, removing it and increasing the GST from twenty to twenty-five percent. This made liquor cheaper than the neighboring states and increased its sales in Delhi.
A few years back also, the facility of home delivery of liquor was given, but due to non-determining of the means for it, that plan did not materialise. This time the government has started a home delivery app of liquor to make it popular, through which it can be booked online, like other items of the house are ordered by booking from the internet. It is being argued that many people buy liquor in black by not going to liquor shops due to long queues and crowds. He hesitates to take them to the shop. It is possible that some youth will get the support of this scheme, but find out from the women of the house what will happen if the spread of alcohol on them increases.
Who will decide that with this liquor, country and adulterated liquor should not be delivered to the homes. Every day there is news of people dying due to adulterated liquor. Till now, many people used to drink alcohol secretly or occasionally. Now they will easily start drinking alcohol every day by ordering it at home. Will the Delhi government’s stamp on those who will take the liquor delivery man that they will not take other country liquor with that liquor. If people get sick from drinking too much alcohol, then whose responsibility will it be? The government will take a guarantee that the income generated from this will be used for public service instead of spending money in its propaganda.
When the infection rate from Corona was thirty two percent, then there was no advertisement, now the infection rate has become one percent, then hoardings of helpline have been issued in newspapers. What is the effect on the people of continuing the sale of liquor during the corona closure or lockdown, the government will ever assess it correctly? When the number of corona patients had crossed three thousand every day and there was panic in hospitals for oxygen and admission, then the government, far from sending medicines or other essential items to people’s homes, not even information related to corona Was able to send Then home delivery of medicines was not known.
In this Corona period, the concern of the government should be to save the employment of the people. Along with saving their lives, efforts should be made to keep them healthy. But it is surprising that the government is engaged in increasing the income from alcohol! Corona is not over yet. Its third wave is expected. After Corona, people are getting affected by ‘Black Fungus’. People must have put their hard earned money of life to save themselves and their loved ones in the time of crisis, instead of giving them, the government is making another arrangement to offer an evil like alcohol. The government, which claims to make Delhi a world-class city, is trying to drown it in alcohol. In fact, a small state like Delhi, which already has strong revenue streams, should be further improved to make Delhi the best alcohol-free capital in the world.
