Does the solution to fiscal deficit lie in developing an alcohol empire?

A controversial topic in Kerala for the past few days has been the permission given by the Left Front Government to Oasis Commercial Pvt Ltd, owned by Punjab's liquor baron Deep Malhotra, to set up a brewery in Elappully, Palakkad. Deep Malhotra is also one of the accused in the notorious liquor scam case in which former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Chairman Arvind Krejwal has been implicated. One of the allegations of the opposition is that there has been huge corruption in giving approval to the liquor factory of Malhotra whose liquor empire is spread across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, UP, etc without even inviting tenders. Another accusation is that the license was granted to Oasis Company without considering the allegations of draining huge amounts of groundwater in the states where its distilleries are already set up. The new distillery will be established in the same area where the factory of multi-national Coca-Cola company had to be shut down due to the draining of millions of liters of underground water which resulted in the common people, including the tribals, having to face a shortage of drinking water. At the time, the Left Front was in the opposition and fought with people against the company that was draining natural resources.

Also read: Liquor consumption kills 3 mn people annually: WHO

Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh who swears that there is no question of draining underground water says that the water from the Malampuzha dam is going to be supplied to the liquor company. However, the main source of drinking water in Palakkad is the Malampuzha Dam where the district faces a severe water shortage in summer. In this situation, the liquor company, which requires 10 lakh liters per day, is sure to draw water from all available sources. The government's answer to all this is the claim that the private company will provide employment to 640 people directly and 2000 people indirectly. However, it is clear that the promise made by the Minister is just empty verbiage given that private companies, solely motivated by profit can bring in migrant workers from other states who are satisfied with the minimum wage. There is no question of the government interfering in this matter. No matter what anyone says, the government, which is facing a severe fiscal deficit, cannot be expected to walk away from the liquor deal, which is profitable for the public exchequer, the party, and the party leaders alike. Even if the Elappully panchayat, where the brewery is going to be set up, protests against the project, the government and the party will definitely overcome it.

Also read: India's alcohol-related deaths more than double that of China: WHO

There is no point in not seeing that the fundamental problem is the Left Front government's liquor policy. It is a fact that the Pinarayi government, which came to power in 2016 after announcing that its policy regarding alcohol is not prohibition, but abstinence, gives maximum emphasis to the liquor industry whenever it revises the liquor policy. The LDF government has given licenses to 200 more bars, ending the previous UDF government's control over bars. 4700 toddy shops are currently functioning in the state. The policy of allowing liquor shops within 200 meters of schools and places of worship has been revised to a distance of 50 meters. The authority of the local bodies to approve liquor shops was abolished. The insignificant amount allocated in the budget for alcohol abstinence awareness which was meant to resolve the problem also remained in paper. Rehabilitation centres (mukti kendras) were also made scarecrows.

Also read: Alcohol, smoking consumers fall in Kerala in last 4 years: survey

The government's response and propaganda was that prohibition was not only impractical but would only serve to increase the production of illicit alcohol and turn addicts to more deadly drug use. But what has happened and is happening? Most recently, the conscience of the society has been frozen by an incident. A drug addict hacked his mother 17 times to death. She raised her only son by working for daily wages. He asked for money repeatedly and killed her out of frustration. This is not an isolated incident. Students and youth have become drug carriers, consumers, and addicts in an unprecedented manner. Drug trafficking and sale continue undetected by the police, excise, or vigilance committees. Drug dealers are finding new ways to evade capture. Complaints were raised earlier that the drug syndicate is trying to enter the film world as well. Parents, educational institution authorities, police, and other officials are constrained to watch this trend helplessly. With mobile phone being ubiquitous, addicts and dealers have little difficulty circumventing restrictions. In short, the government's stance that alcohol distribution is to prevent the spread of drugs is a complete failure. The terrible truth is that both alcohol and illegal substances are eating up entire generations.

Also read: The main culprit is alcohol, and those who provide it

Prevention of production, sale, and consumption of alcohol by using all power and strategy along with sincere and strong awareness campaigns is the only way to fight the scourge of intoxicants. At the same time, the rehabilitation programme must continue to be effective. If the leader of the second main party of the Left Front has to advise his own ranks that "if the party members are in the habit of drinking alcohol, they should stay at home, not go on the road and create trouble. They should not be seen on four legs or meet with any rich person to drink alcohol," the public can only imagine how bad the threat posed by the addiction empire is.

Also read: US Surgeon General calls for cancer warning labels on alcohol due to increased risks