THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. I-T SURVEY TEAM TOOK DATA BY CLONING SERVER: OXFAM INDIA

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the income tax officials conducted a “survey” on Oxfam India on suspicion of financial irregularities, the non-profit organisation said that the survey team took all data by cloning its server and private mobile phones of senior leadership team.

THE EXPLANATION:

The department on conducted surveys on two think tanks and a charity organisation on suspicion of irregularities related to financial transactions.

• According to Oxfam India “The Income-Tax (I-T) Department officials conducted an income tax ‘survey’ at the Oxfam India Delhi office from the 7th September 2022 noon to early hours of 9th September.
• It added that while the team conducting the survey was polite and professional, the process of a survey with such sweeping powers and broad ambit resulted in disappointing Oxfam India. “The Income Tax survey team took away hundreds of pages of data pertaining to finances and programs of Oxfam India. They also took all the data by cloning the Oxfam India server and the private mobile phones of the senior leadership team and the finance lead”.
• It further said that it is compliant with Indian laws and has filed all its statutory compliances, including Income tax and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) returns, in a timely manner since its inception.
• Stating that past eight months have been distressing for Oxfam India, the company pointed out that in December 2021, the renewal of FCRA licence was denied by the Home Ministry. “Despite this, Oxfam India was conducting one of the largest civil society responses to the COVID crisis across 16 States. Oxfam India has provided life-saving medical and diagnostic equipment to 150 district hospitals, 172 primary health centres, and 166 community health centres in 16 States. Ten oxygen plants have also been set up and made operational across the country” .

OXFAM

• Oxfam is a confederation of 20 independent charitable organisations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty.
• It was founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
• It is a major nonprofit group with an extensive collection of operations.
• HQ at Nairobi, Kenya.
• Vision: A world where people and the planet are at the centre of our economy. Where women and girls live free from violence and discrimination. Where the climate crisis is contained. And where governance systems are inclusive and allow for those in power to be held to account.

VALUE ADDITION:

What is the FCRA?

• The FCRA was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
• These concerns were, in fact, even older; they had been expressed in Parliament as early as in 1969.

Aim: The law sought to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they functioned in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic.

Prohibition:

The Act prohibits the receipt of foreign funds by candidates for elections, journalists or newspaper and media broadcast companies, judges and government servants, members of legislature and political parties or their office-bearers, and organisations of a political nature.

New guidelines to banks on Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act rules

• State Bank of India’s New Delhi branch: A new provision that makes it mandatory for all NGOs to receive foreign funds in a designated bank account at the State Bank of India’s New Delhi branch was inserted.
• Designated FCRA account: All NGOs seeking foreign donations have to open a designated FCRA account at the SBI branch.
• The NGOs can retain their existing FCRA account in any other bank but it will have to be mandatorily linked to the SBI branch in New Delhi.
• Only banking channels allowed: Foreign contribution has to be received only through banking channels and it has to be accounted for in the manner prescribed.
• OCI or PIO: Donations are given in Indian rupees by any foreign source including foreigners of Indian origin like OCI or PIO cardholders” should also be treated as foreign contributions.
• Sovereignty and integrity: It requires NGOs to give an undertaking that the acceptance of foreign funds is not likely to prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India or impact friendly relations with any foreign state and does not disrupt communal harmony.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. INDIA- UK CONDUCT COUNTER RANSOMWARE EXERCISE

THE CONTEXT: Recently India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the British Government in collaboration with BAE Systems successfully conducted a virtual ransomware drill for 26 countries to prepare for a large, widespread cyber attack.

THE EXPLANATION:

THEME: The theme of the exercise is “Energy Sector” which aims to enable national cyber crisis management teams belonging to CRI affiliates to tackle ransomware attacks on multiple power distribution companies.

• The exercise was part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI)-Resilience Working Group led by the National Cyber ​​Security Coordinator (NCSC) in India.
• The objective of conducting this virtual cyber exercise is to detect and address a large, widespread cyber security incident affecting institutions operating within a country.
• The exercise is designed to support CRI’s mission, and is intended to allow participating CRI members to test their abilities to respond to a major ransomware incident at multiple power distribution companies.
• It also mentions the benefits of sharing and collaborating during such a major cyber attack.
• Such exercises also provide opportunities for CRI countries to share their perspectives on tackling ransomware.

VALUE ADDITION:

National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC)

• It is an operational cyber security and e-surveillance agency in India which is intended to screen communication metadata and co-ordinate intelligence gathering activities of other agencies. It generates situational awareness about potential and existing cyber security threats and enables timely sharing of information for proactive, preventive and protective actions by individual entities.
• National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) coordinates with different agencies at the national level for cyber security matters.

THE HEALTH ISSUES

3. KERALA GOVT: EXPERT COMMITTEE TO STUDY HUMAN RABIES DEATHS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Kerala Health Minister has issued orders to set up an expert committee to study human rabies deaths in Kerala following a rise in cases of stray dog ​​bites in Kerala.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The minor was bitten on August 14 when she had gone out to buy milk and had six wounds, including one on her face. He died during treatment at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital. The thing to note here is that this girl had also been vaccinated against rabies, yet she died.
• The stray dog ​​bite case was not the first as the number of such cases is increasing in Kerala, following which two petitioners, Father Geevarghese Thomas and Sabu Stephen, moved the court.
• According to the Kerala Health Ministry data, more than 95,000 people were bitten by dogs in eight months this year and 14 people died compared to 11 last year. Of the 14 deaths, five had taken the rabies vaccine.
• The figures for the last five years also show that the cases in the state have been rising steadily: from 1,48,899 in 2019 to 1,21,529 as of August 2022. Rabies deaths are also on the rise: from nine cases in 2018 to 14 deaths in August 2022

Mission Rabies

• It is a charity, initially founded as an initiative by Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS). It is a United Kingdom-based charity group which assists animals. Mission Rabies works with ‘One Health approach’ which is driven by research to eliminate dog bite transmitted rabies disease. It was launched in September 2013 with the objective of vaccinating 50,000 dogs against rabies in India.  Rabies has estimated to kill 59,000 people annually. Mission Rabies teams have vaccinated 968,287 dogs since 2013. Organisation has worked in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Assam.

About Rabies

• As per WHO, Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral disease that occurs in about 150 countries and territories. Dogs act as the source of majority of human rabies deaths. Dogs are responsible for contributing up to 99% of rabies transmissions to humans. In Asia and Africa regions, low awareness regarding the need of health care after dog bite takes lives of about 55000 people per year.
• India is endemic for rabies with the burden of 36% of world’s deaths. 30-60% of reported rabies cases and deaths in India occur in children aged under 15 years because bite often go unrecognized and unreported.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX

THE CONTEXT: India has been ranked 132 out of 191 countries in the recently released Human Development Report 2021-22 by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

THE EXPLANATION:

• This year’s report is titled “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping Our Future in a Transforming World”.
• India’s HDI value during 2021 was 0.633, lower than the world average of 0.732. In 2020 also, India recorded a decline in its HDI value (0.642) as compared to the pre-Covid level of 2019 (0.645).
• Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: India’s GNP per capita (2017 PPP) at $6,590.
• India’s Life expectancy at birth: In 2021, India’s life expectancy at birth was recorded at 67.2 years.
• India’s Life expectancy at birth: The decline in India’s HDI from 0.645 in 2018 to 0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to falling life expectancy at birth.
• Access to knowledge: The expected years of schooling in India is 11.9 years and the average years of schooling is 6.7 years.

Top 5 countries

• Switzerland has been ranked first in the report of the United Nations Human Development Index. It is followed by Norway, then Iceland, Hong Kong and Australia in fifth place.

India’s Neighbours

Sri Lanka has been ranked 73rd in the Human Development Index. With this China is ranked 79th, Bhutan 127th, Bangladesh 129th, Nepal 143rd and Pakistan 161st.

About Human Development Index

The HDI is an average measure of basic human development achievements in a country measured by UNDP. It is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.

5. KIRIT PARIKH COMMITTEE TO MODERATE GAS PRICES

THE CONTEXT: The Central Government has recently constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Kirit Parikh to control and reduce the continuous increase in LPG gas prices.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A representative each from private companies involved in city gas distribution, public gas company GAIL India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Fertilizers has been included in this committee.
• This committee will decide the formula for better pricing for domestic gas production. The report is expected to be submitted by the end of this month.
• This committee will also review the formula for fixing the price of gas produced by companies like ONGC and Reliance.

LPG consumption in India

• Consumption of LPG in the country – mainly used as cooking fuel – rose 3.75% in January to a record high of 2.569 million tonnes in January, PPAC data showed. India’s LPG consumption has increased in recent years to 27.558 million tonnes in the financial year 2020-21 (April-March), from 4.803 million tonnes in the financial year 1997-98.
• Indian imports were traditionally butane-heavy, although the LPG import ratio has remained largely the same in recent years.
• The flagship scheme of the government Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has made a significant contribution towards enhancing the penetration of LPG, especially in rural areas. The renewed targets under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) aims to provide LPG connections to 10 crore households before January 31, 2022.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. WHAT IS ‘HUMAN ORGAN TRANSPORTATION DRONE’?

THE CONTEXT: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways recently inaugurated the country’s first prototype drone for transporting human organs to facilitate quick transplantation in hospitals.

THE EXPLANATION:

• With this innovation, it will take much less time to transport the transplanted organs from airport to hospital.  At present, this facility has been started by MGM Healthcare Hospital located in Chennai.
• This drone can be used to carry the organ box up to a distance of 20 km. For this, an agreement has been signed with a city-based drone company.
• This experiment will prove to be a milestone in the direction of seamless transport of organs after transplantation in this service.
• India ranks third in the world after United States and China, with a maximum of 17,000-18,000 solid organ transplants every year. And to defend such circumstances, the human organ transportation drone can be a boon.

Organ Transplantations in India:

• Globally, Spain has the highest organ donation rate at about 34 donors per million, while India has nearly 0.03 donors per million. In India, Tamil Nadu has a highest number of organ donations.
• India needs an estimated 6 lakh kidney donations annually, only 6,000 kidney transplants take place. The number of heart transplants is just inching close to 500.
• National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the ministry of health and family welfare was setup in 2014 to oversee the process of Organ transplantation. Under NOTTO two organizations are present, namely, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO) and SOTTO (State Organ and Tissue Transplant organization).

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES IN NEWS

7. WOMEN IN ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY (WEST) INITIATIVE

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the central government launched a new i-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities) initiative named “Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (WEST)”.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The WEST program is aimed at women from STEM backgrounds and will empower them to contribute to the science, technology and innovation ecosystem.
• Under the WEST initiative, the existing support being provided by I-STEM to S&Tstartups of women entrepreneurs will be enhanced and a dedicated team of women will ensure the successful implementation of this initiative.
• Access to R&D facilities and R&D software platforms (Comsol, Matlab, LabVIEW, AutoCAD) available through this portal will create a strong support network for women entrepreneurs in science and technology.
• In addition, a digital group “Connect Quickly” has also been set up through I-Stem’s WhatsApp and Telegram platforms for online discussion and immediate help.

Significance of WEST

• i-STEM will provide a platform for women researchers to discuss achievements, issues and exchange ideas to take the country forward through advances in science, technology and innovation.
• Women with this experience can become entrepreneurs to serve as consultants for operation and maintenance of sophisticated equipment/equipment through i-STEM platform.
• This initiative will also help in bringing women back into the science and technology domain after a career break.
• This will go a long way toward filling the “skills gap” and putting publicly funded tools to good use.

VALUE ADDITION:

I-STEM Portal

• I-STEM is Indian Science, Technology Engineering Facilities Map. The portal will act as a gateway for the researchers and users to locate facilities that are required for their research and development work. Also, after locating the facility, the researcher can make an online reservation in order to use the facility. With this, the start-ups can leverage public and private investments and come up with successful services and products.
• Initially, similar facility was operating at IISc Bengaluru and IIT Bombay. The I-STEM portal is a replica of these facilities. The facility at IISc Bengaluru was called the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE).

1. S Radhakrishnan: A man of egoless impartiality READ MORE
2. Rule over your senses READ MORE

1. Climate finance for sustainable development goals READ MORE
2. Slowdown of continental plates linked to volcanic eruptions triggered mass extinctions: Study READ MORE

1. How Bharat is fighting TB through Jan Bhagidari: Health minister writes about govt & citizens working together to make the country TB-free by 2025 READ MORE  
2. Transgender woes READ MORE
3. Expansive Social Security Programmes a Top Priority READ MORE

1. Why sports management in India needs to include former players READ MORE
2. Challenge for CBI to tackle credibility crisis READ MORE
3. Courts’ turn to keep pace with the times READ MORE
4. SECURITY IN THE TIME OF DISASTERS READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Centre bans export of broken rice due to domestic demand READ MORE
2. Direct tax mop-up rises 30% till Sept 8 READ MORE
3. Army in Arunachal Pradesh gets modern equipment READ MORE
4. India is not in the trade pillar of IPEF right now: US Trade Representative READ MORE
5. A river ruined: Are India’s mining laws deterrent enough? READ MORE
6. State of the Climate in Africa 2021: High water stress to displace up to 700 million Africans by 2030 READ MORE
7. A look into India’s first prototype of drone technology for organ transportation READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Moving out of the shadows, from silence to assertion READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Why sports management in India needs to include former players READ MORE
2. Challenge for CBI to tackle credibility crisis READ MORE
3. Courts’ turn to keep pace with the times READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. How Bharat is fighting TB through Jan Bhagidari: Health minister writes about govt & citizens working together to make the country TB-free by 2025 READ MORE  
2. Transgender woes READ MORE
3. Expansive Social Security Programmes a Top Priority READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. On China, India must be alert READ MORE  
2. Analysing Sri Lankan, Chinese, and Indian Perspectives: Sri Lanka–China Relations READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Why Modi govt needs to reconsider spending on physical rather than social infrastructure READ MORE
2. August Trade Gap Is an Early Warning of Currency and Forex Worries READ MORE

 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Climate finance for sustainable development goals READ MORE
2. Slowdown of continental plates linked to volcanic eruptions triggered mass extinctions: Study READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. The stark reasons why Bengaluru is sinking READ MORE
2. SECURITY IN THE TIME OF DISASTERS READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. S Radhakrishnan: A man of egoless impartiality READ MORE
2. Rule over your senses READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Growing market uncertainties and recurring calamities demand higher social security. In the light of the statement explain how a Pan-India Social Security Programmes can secure citizens from these uncertainties?
2. ‘As sport administration becomes more demanding and training and skills more complex, the presumption that sports federations can be run by bureaucrats or judges needs a serious rethink’. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A change of heart changes everything.
• Growing market uncertainties and recurring calamities demand higher social security.
• It is argued that given the geostrategic location of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, and proximity to India, an aspiration for infrastructural developmental and Chinese developmental assistance are primarily shaping the Sri Lankan foreign policy choice to adopt hedging to maximise benefits.
• As the power relationship in Asia is in a constant flux and given the power dilemma between India and China, New Delhi is increasingly more receptive to India–US–Sri Lanka collaboration to restrict China’s foray into the Indian Ocean.
• As sport administration becomes more demanding and training and skills more complex, the presumption that sports federations can be run by bureaucrats or judges needs a serious rethink.
• India and China have agreed on disengagement of their frontline troops in the Hot Springs area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after months of protracted negotiations, but it is also obvious that serious differences remain between the two sides.
• It is high time now that we shifted our focus to a more down to earth, sustainable model of development that would place a lower burden on the planet.
• Addressing climate change requires investments in green bonds, instruments that finance green projects achieving decent returns, while simultaneously hedging against climate change risks.

50-WORD TALK

• The CBI’s decline started during the Emergency and gradually it became politicised. The Shah Commission of Inquiry, which probed the excesses perpetrated during the Emergency, criticised its questionable role in a number of cases and hauled up some of its shining stars. It also observed that the efficiency and transparency of an organisation depend much on the extent to which the executives of the organisation are allowed to function ‘freely and objectively’.
• The 20% duty on rice export is no cause for embarrassment or complaint. We’d wish more is done to discourage export of non-Basmati rice. It brings little value and costs too much water. Wean farmers away from producing surplus paddy for export, incentivise shifting to more remunerative, less water-guzzling crops.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

THE CONTEXT: India has a long history of various states experimenting with various laws on liquor, ranging from total prohibition to restricted sale of alcohol to phased closure of liquor shops.  As liquor contributes sizeable revenue to the exchequer, it has never been an easy decision for any state government to impose the prohibition.  Presently, there are four states – Bihar, Gujarat, Nagaland and Mizoram – and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, where total prohibition is in place. This article analyses the causes behind the not-so-successful liquor prohibitions in India.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism.

THE OVERVIEW: Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties. In many of today’s societies, alcoholic beverages are a routine part of the social landscape for many in the population. This is particularly true for those in social environments with high visibility and societal influence, nationally and internationally, where alcohol frequently accompanies socializing. In this context, it is easy to overlook or discount the health and social damage caused or contributed to by drinking.

• Alcohol consumption contributes to 3 million deaths each year globally as well as to the disabilities and poor health of millions of people. Overall, the harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 5.1% of the global burden of disease.
• Harmful use of alcohol is accountable for 7.1% and 2.2% of the global burden of disease for males and females respectively. Alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability among those aged 15 to 49 years, accounting for 10 per cent of all deaths in this age group. Disadvantaged and especially vulnerable populations have higher rates of alcohol-related death and hospitalization.

THE HISTORY OF PROHIBITION OF LIQUOR AROUND THE WORLD

The term prohibition refers to the legal prevention of the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages with the aim of obtaining total abstinence through legal means. Prohibition and temperance have had an overlapping history in many countries since ancient times like in ancient China, Aztec civilisation and feudal Japanese society.

The anti-liquor movement in the West is nearly two centuries two-centuries-old. An abstinence pledge was introduced by churches in the United States as early as 1800. One of the landmarks in the internationalisation of the movement was the organisation of the World Prohibition Conference in London, in 1909. It was instrumental in the formation of the International Prohibition Confederation, embracing the United States, the European countries and a few other industrialised countries of the world. Nationwide prohibition was enforced in the United States in 1920 (via the 18th Amendment and National Prohibition Act). However, post-1933 a tilt towards liberalisation was seen as countries were unable to stop illicit liquor sales and were losing out on revenue. In 1933, the National Prohibition Act was repealed in the U.S.

THE CURRENT STATUS OF PROHIBITION IN THE WORLD

Most countries that introduced prohibition have withdrawn or liberalised the measure like the U.S, Japan, China etc. At present, there is a complete prohibition of liquor in 5countries in the Middle East/North Africa which include Afghanistan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Sudan. Some other countries like Brunei Darussalam, Comoro, Iran, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria and Yemen – prohibit alcohol for Muslim citizens only. The United Arab Emirates allows for some sale of alcohol except for the region of Sharjah.

LIQUOR PROHIBITION IN INDIA

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

• Article 47: The Directive Principle in the Constitution of India states that “The state shall undertake rules to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health”.
• State Subject: Alcohol is a subject in the State list under the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution.

OTHER PROHIBITION ACTS IN INDIA

• Bombay Abkari Act, 1878: The first hint at the prohibition of liquor was through the Bombay Abkari Act, 1878 (in the Province of Bombay). This Act dealt with the levying of duties on intoxicants, among other things and aspects of prohibition via amendments made in 1939 and 1947.
• Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949: There were “many lacunae” in the Bombay Abkari Act, 1878, from the point of view of the government’s decision to enforce prohibition. This led to the birth of the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949. The Supreme Court (SC) upheld the Act broadly barring a few sections in 1951 in the judgment of the State of Bombay and Ors. vs FN Balsara (1951).
• Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949: Gujarat adopted the prohibition policy in 1960 and subsequently chose to enforce it with greater rigidity, but also made processes easier for foreign tourists and visitors to get liquor permits. In 2011, the Act was renamed as Gujarat Prohibition Act. In 2017, the Gujarat Prohibition (Amendment) Act was passed with the provision of up to ten years in jail for manufacturing, purchase, sale and transportation of liquor in the dry state.
• Bihar Prohibition Act, 2016: The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act was brought into effect in 2016. Over 3.5 lakh people have been arrested under the stringent prohibition law since 2016, leading to crowded jails and clogged courts.
• Other States: Alcohol prohibition in India is in force in the states of Mizoram, and Nagaland as well as in the union territory of Lakshadweep

RATIONALE BEHIND PROHIBITION OF LIQUOR

HEALTH BENEFITS

• Drinking liquor places an adverse impact on human health. It diminishes the utility and functioning of the vital organs of the body, especially the liver and kidney. According to the WHO, the harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions and globally 3 million death occur every year due to harmful use of alcohol (5.3% of all deaths).

CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION

• Article 47 of the Constitution directs the State to take measures to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health. Further, the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health.

CURB GENDER VIOLENCE

• Several studies have pointed out a direct correlation between consumption of alcohol and gender violence, including in the domestic setting. A study in Bihar found that 40% of ever-married women aged between 15 and 49 reported that they experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence by their husbands during the previous 12 months.
• Proponents argue that the prohibition of liquor has the potential to bring down the levels of intimate partner violence. A study conducted in Bihar has supported the argument e.g., there has been a 28.9% reduction in crimes against women in Bihar between 2016-2019 (after prohibition)

REDUCTION IN CRIM

• A reduction in alcohol consumption is also desired to reduce crime in society as intoxication impairs an individual’s ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
• A report by the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) on prohibition in Bihar noted there was a 66.6% dip in cases of kidnapping for ransom, followed by a 28.3% dip in murder cases and 2.3% in dacoity.

ECONOMIC STRESS

• Addiction to alcohol creates severe hardships, especially for poor families as the male members tend to spend more on alcohol due to their excessive addiction. This in turn reduces the budget for spending on essential items and in many cases pushes the family into borrowing.
• The 1992 Anti-arrack movement that took place in Andhra Pradesh is a testimony to this. The money saved due to the prohibition of liquor is used more productively, e.g., the ADRI study pointed out that 19% of households acquired new assets from the money they earlier splurged on alcohol.

THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE PROHIBITION OF LIQUOR

RIGHT TO CHOICE

• A total ban goes against an individual’s right to choice and undermines a person’s freedom.

ECONOMIC LOSS

• The Indian Made Foreign Liquors (IMFL) industry contributes over INR 1 lakh crore in taxes every year. It supports the livelihood of 35 lakh farming families and provides direct and indirect employment to lakhs of workers employed in the industry. It also supports hundreds of ancillary industries in glass, tin, plastic and paper with a turnover of Rs 6,000-7,000 crore.
• Moreover, complete prohibition has a negative impact on the tourism and hospitality sectors.

BOOTLEGGING

• Failure of effective implementation gives rise to bootlegging (the illegal production, transport and sale of liquor). Liquor mafias emerge which keep on supplying illicit liquor (with no quality checks) to the masses. This defeats the purpose of the prohibition of liquor and gives rise to organized crime as well.

HEALTH IMPACTS

• Many people lose their lives by consuming poor-quality illicit liquor (hooch). News reports indicate that as many as 60 people have died after consuming hooch in Bihar since November 2021. Alcohol prohibition may also lead people into consuming other substances which are easy to smuggle and may result in greater health and social consequences.

POPULIST MEASURE

• Critics argue that Alcohol prohibition is merely used as a political card, especially to woo women, voters. However, it doesn’t solve their problems as people addicted to alcohol end up consuming hooch and other illegal alcoholic substances whose impact is similar or even worse than legally manufactured alcohol.

THE CHEQUERED HISTORY OF LIQUOR BAN IN INDIA

• Gujarat (which has been under prohibition for most of its existence) has a thriving illegal liquor industry. For reference, neighbouring Daman has a per capita consumption of 56 litres per annum against the national average of just 4.3 litres per annum. It is estimated that the state loses revenue to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore annually. Off-late Gujarat has diluted prohibition to contain negative fall out on tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector.
• Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala too have experimented with prohibition at different times but abolished it due to its ineffectiveness. Prohibition did not solve the problem of alcohol consumption—it only drove it underground. In recent times Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur have also overturned years-old prohibition policies due to their failure.
• Maharashtra has archaic laws of permits to drink (bars are called ‘permit rooms’) despite the fact that it has never been enforced. It now intends to enforce permits for small private parties at home. Similarly, there are inexplicable limits on the stocking of alcohol for personal consumption. Such ad-hocism prevents a consistent public policy aimed at creating a culture of responsible drinking.
• Bihar introduced complete prohibition in April 2016. While it certainly has led to a reduction in alcohol consumption, the related social, economic, and administrative costs have been far too much to justify gains. Prohibition crippled the judicial administration. So far over 2.14 lakh cases have been registered under the Act; 2.55 lakh people have been booked and 1.67 lakh arrests have been made. Nearly 40,000 bail applications are pending in the High Court, which has expressed its anguish at the turn of events and questioned how it can deal with this enormous pendency. Ironically, liquor sales in districts in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal bordering Bihar have seen a sharp rise.

CASE STUDY FROM BIHAR

• Ever since the Janata Dal (United) government banned liquor in 2016, drug use has gone up among young Biharis. Heroin, ganja, charas, and intravenous drugs have been the refuge of addicts in the state. A UDAYA study found that consumption was higher among rural boys (21 per cent) in Bihar than urban ones (17 per cent). Police in Seemanchal’s districts says petty crimes have also risen, as have the recovery of drugs, phones and cough syrup bottles.
• And yet, nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Economically poor and socially backward, Seemanchal sends its children to Delhi, Kolkata, and other big cities for better education and jobs each year. Some leave as migrant workers and some as government job seekers. But when the nationwide lockdown was announced in 2020, the young returned with no jobs and no work. With them, entered different types of addiction, drugs and boredom.

THE ANALYSIS – OF WHY THE LIQUOR PROHIBITION IS NOT EFFECTIVE

LESSONS OF HISTORY

• Those who support alcohol prohibition point at the dangers of drinking, the lives it has destroyed and the misery it has caused. They no doubt have a point, but that only indicates that alcohol consumption should be regulated in the public interest, not that it be totally prohibited. Historical experience has shown that liquor bans are ineffective and even counter-productive, and only give rise to crime and deaths by consumers drinking illicit liquor. Experience has shown that bans seldom work. They just push the alcohol consumption underground which then brings the criminal element into the picture.

PREVALENCE OF CORRUPTION

• Generally, the local officials form a nexus with the liquor mafia and overlook the underground activities. This police-mafia nexus problem is not limited to India, this had been evident in the US as well during the period of prohibition (1920-33).

DYNAMIC MODUS OPERANDI

• The modus operandi of unlawful players keeps on changing from time to time. The places of production, mode of transportation, and code languages keep on changing which are very difficult to detect.

SUPPORT BY NEIGHBOURING REGIONS

• The liquor gets smuggled from the neighbouring states, e.g., Daman (neighbouring Gujarat) has a per capita consumption of 56 litres per annum against the national average of just 4.3 litres per annum. The data show it plays a key role in meeting the demand of Gujarat.

HUGE SUPPLY OF WORKFORCE

• There is a huge supply of unemployed youth who want to make quick money by smuggling illicit liquor. The youth who get caught are quickly replaced. Further bail can be easily obtained due to nexus with officials.

HIGH DEGREE OF ADDICTION

• The ban doesn’t reduce the demand for alcohol but rather intensifies it. People are willing to risk their lives and drink illicit liquor just to satisfy their addiction. In Bihar, the prohibition indirectly increased the use of drugs and other harmful substances among those who could not get hold of alcohol.

The demand for alcohol is inelastic, i.e. whatever the price of alcohol, we can always find a crowd at every alcohol shop. So, when a law is established prohibiting the manufacturing or sale of alcohol, it impacts the supply side of the market. Basically, a law like Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016 (BPEA), hardly influences the demand side of the market, which is inelastic in nature. The result is that, in a new market equilibrium, there is a negligible reduction in the consumption of alcohol, but the price of alcohol rises. It can be said that the law can actually worsen the lives of families of alcohol addicts, instead of making them better off.

Prohibitory laws cannot alter the demand side of the alcohol market. Instead of making laws, the government should work towards something that would influence the demand side of the consumer. One alternative is to disseminate awareness among people at the village or panchayat level. Awareness drives can help in reducing the demand.

Mere law passed in an assembly by a few people can’t bring social change. If the government had spent just 50% of the revenue it receives from the duties on alcohol on educating people about the hazardous effects of alcohol, it could have brought a better change in the lives of the people and society.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• The idea of prohibition is a classic example of tail-chasing. It is a short-sighted idea which can only get rid of the symptoms, and facilitate ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but can never truly manage to cure the disease. And what is the disease anyway? Linking domestic abuse with increased alcohol consumption is perhaps like being overconfident and assuming the problem is incredulously simple. Domestic abuse by men who squander their limited incomes on alcohol and then come home to beat their wives, or engage in other crimes, and its connection with alcohol consumption needs more research.
• The belief that banning alcohol would check issues related to alcoholism is a very simplistic notion, whereas in reality, the situation is much more complex. Between issues such as morality, prohibition or freedom of choice, also are factors like economy, jobs, etc, which cannot be ignored. What is required is an informed and constructive dialogue on the causes and effects.
• Policymakers should focus on framing laws which encourage responsible behaviour and compliance. The drinking age should be made uniform across the country and no person below that should be permitted to buy alcohol. Tough laws should be made against drunken behaviour in public, domestic violence under the influence, and drinking and driving. Besides, governments should set aside part of revenue earned from alcohol for social education, de-addiction, and community support.
• The point is we know that sugar is bad for health. Should we just ban it or instead get people to consume it less by way of creating awareness?

THE CONCLUSION: Prohibition risks bringing the double whammy of the loss of tax revenues and the need for increased spending on enforcement. Laws work best when they are reformative, not retributive. The mindset of the people cannot be changed overnight and less so through inefficacious policy levers that infringe on individual freedom. That will just make it costlier for people to make mistakes and learn about their preferences through trial and error. On the other hand, higher taxes on alcohol might give the state a chance to bring reforms to their societies which are both progressive and prescient.

Mains Practice Questions:

1. Evidence from Indian experiments shows that a liquor ban does not lead to desired changes. Comment.
2. Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law. Critically analyse the utility of using physical and financial resources to implement the provisions of the alcohol prohibition laws in India.