IMPHAL, July 6: The Chief Minister, Okram Ibobi clarified today that prohibition came into being in the state from April 1, 1991, how said this prohibition has been less than a joke for liquor is available freely anywhere, anywhere and any moment.
The discussion came up during the discussion for demand for grant No. 28 for State Excise for the year 2015-2016 for Rs. 17,65,00,000.
The chief minister was also responding to a motion for disapproval of policy cut moved by Trinamool MLA Th. Shyamkumar Singh on the issue of `Failure to lift liquor prohibition to generate income of the state`.
The chief minister further said that ever since prohibition came into existence, though liquor still freely flows, the revenue generated by the State Excise has dropped to just about Rs. 7 crores to Rs. 8 crores.
Had all the liquor still flowing into the State being sold legally, the State Excise would have been able to realise an annual revenue of between Rs. 300 crores to Rs. 500 crores, Ibobi further said.
He said in the entire Northeast, only Manipur and Nagaland are the two where prohibition is in vogue. Even the Christian State of Mizoram has done away with prohibition he reiterated.
But there are certain sections of NGOs who are opposed to the idea, saying Manipur cannot simply follow the example of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya and lift prohibition charging that the government is craving for revenue at the cost of destroying families and the society at large.
Moreover, because liquor is finding its way into the State through unofficial channels, there are reports that much of it is spurious, the Chief Minister said. He even said there are reports that at Khatkhati, there are blackmarketeers mixing contaminants to bottled brands for illegal profits.
However, he said the matter of lifting prohibition have to be debated and thrashed on an appropriate forum at the soonest and a final decision taken.
Joining the discussion, the Andro MLA Shyamkumar said a better option would be to refine the State`™s own brews, such as those of Sekmai, Andro and Phayeng, and look for export market for them. This would be a much better revenue earner, he emphasised.
The Chief Minister took note of this suggestion but said this will not be possible so long as prohibition remains. However, he also added that the matter of lifting prohibition should not be the sole decision of the government, and if at all, this will have to be done in consultation with the people of the state.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/07/the-plea-for-not-lifting-prohibition-is-strange-for-liquor-flows-amidst-prohibition-says-cm/