Arun Lakshman /ChennaI, July 30 (IANS)
It was in Salem district of Tamil Nadu in year 1937 that the Congress government of C. Rajagopalachari imposed the country’s first prohibition and it was extended across the state in 1948 immediately after the country gained Independence. This prohibition in Tamil Nadu continued with the Gandhian Kamaraj at the helm of affairs in state and national politics and foundation was properly laid.
It may be recalled that the Madras Abkari Act was introduced in 1886 that set in place a strict regulations and banned the sale of local drinks and this British policy helped the sale of foreign liquor instead of desi beverages.
The DMK government led by party ideologue, M. Karunanidhi, however, lifted the ban in the year 1971 citing revenue losses without a nationwide ban, and allowed the sale of arrack and toddy- the ‘desi drinks’. However, Karunanidhi had to stop the sale of toddy and arrack in 1974. The ban of arrack and toddy led to the spurious manufacturing of the drinks and methanol, the industrial alcohol was widely used leading to several deaths in the state during the years 1975-76. The sale of liquor and toddy was later reintroduced in the state by the matinee idol turned Chief Minister, M. G. Ramachandran( MGR) when he catapulted to power as an AIADMK leader in the year 1981. MGR after assuming office even reduced the age for securing a liquor permit ( foreign liquor consumption)from 45 to 30 and in 1981 finance minister, V.R. Nedunchezhiyan further reduced the age to 25.
In the year 1983, the state government under M.G. Ramachandran, opened the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation(Tasmac), and the sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor( IMFL) and arrack were brought under it. Six years after the sale of arrack and toddy, the government under MGR effected a ban on the local drinks on January 1, 1987.
It is to be noted that politicians of all hue and cry while in power in Tamil Nadu justifies the sale of liquor with the theory that the revenue generated through huge taxation on liquor is being used to support social welfare schemes that have led to a robust social index for the state among other states in the country.
M. Idiyanarayanan, Gandhian and social activist while speaking to IANS said, “ It is a wrong theory that you sell liquor, make money by charging the tipplers heavily by taxing them and use this money for welfare schemes. Welfare is a state subject and the money for that must not be generated through liquor taxation, instead, policymakers must chalk out other avenues for raising receipts. In any count, liquor is evil and government must refrain from generating funds through liquor sales creating disharmony in the society.”
With the Tasmac having monopoly and arrack stopped in the state, the hooch deaths have now considerably lowered except for an odd one or two cases across the state, those in support of prohibition vouch that the Tasmac sales outlets have become ubiquitous across the state.
Dr. R. Padmanabhan, Director, Socio-Economic Development Foundation, a think tank based out of Madurai while speaking to IANS said,” The government data available shows a significant increase in the number of people consuming alcohol, and the age limit has all gone for a toss. Whoever has money can walk into a Tasmac shop which is all prevalent in the state, and buy alcohol. According to a study, 47.4% of rural men and 46% of Urban men consume alcohol and this is not a welcome trend for society and political leadership who are vouching for a trillion dollar economy.”
He also said that there was clear evidence of correlation between increased consumption of alcohol and domestic violence on women, sexual abuse, umpteen number of crimes, broken families, suicide, and less productivity.
The noted social scientist said that while there was no immediate solution of a prohibition or a liberalization of liquor, the way forward lies in the middle path deploy a multi-pronged approach.
The state government is also mulling reducing the number of Tasmac outlets and instead increasing taxes on the elite outlets of the corporation.
Sources in the government told IANS that the state government was planning to bring in an Aadhaar linked cap on the quantity of alcohol sole per person so that a single individual is not buying a large quantity of the drink.
Improving the export market is also another idea that the state policymakers are contemplating so that the revenue is brought in without much damage to the physical and mental health of the people of the state.
With the Tamil Nadu government raising Rs 33,811.15 crore through the sale of liquor in 2020-21, the moves to stop the sale or even reduce the sale is at present not feasible.
