With the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the trade union wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI), announcing public protests against the new liquor policy of the State government, Minister for Excise and Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh has expressed hope that the differences could be ironed out through discussions.
Speaking at a meet-the-press event organised by the Kesari Memorial Journalists’ Trust here on Friday, Mr. Rajsh said the policy aims at protecting the toddy sector through modernisation.
“The focus of the policy itself is to protect the toddy sector. In its present state, the sector has no future. We have to look at the scenario realistically. Youngsters are not coming to the sector from traditional toddy-tapping families. The government’s focus is on modernising the sector to create more jobs as well as to attract tourists by offering them better amenities. We will also ensure that the jobs of the existing workers are protected,” said Mr. Rajesh.
He said the government is committed to forming the Toddy Board, one of the key demands of the AITUC.
Responding to Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s criticism that the policy is aimed at increasing the availability of liquor, Mr. Rajesh cited various studies by the Union government which places Kerala among States with relatively less liquor consumption. The Minister also presented a comparison on the number of retail liquor outlets in various States.
“As per the Union government’s study on the magnitude of substance use in India, Kerala is placed at 22nd position in liquor consumption among various States. Compared to a national average of 14.6% of the population consuming liquor, Kerala’s figure is 12.4%. As per the study, 2.8% of India’s population uses ganja, while the figure in Kerala is 0.1%. Kerala has only 309 retail outlets, while Karnataka has 3,980 and Tamil Nadu 5,329. Yet, for political expediency, the Opposition Leader has claimed that a large number of people in Kerala are addicted to liquor and drugs. Despite the situation being so, the government has taken strong steps to address issues of addiction,” he said.
Mr. Rajesh said the liquor policy also aims at producing extra neutral alcohol (ENA), a key component in liquor production, in the State itself. In 2022, Kerala had to purchase 7 crore litres of ENA from other States as the State does not have a production facility. With the production of the same within the State, the liquor price could come down by as much as ₹7-12 per litre.
K-Smart project
The Minister also said that the K-Smart project will be implemented in all urban local bodies from November 1 to make services available digitally to all. With the implementation of the project, the public would not have to visit a local body office to access various services. Applications for various certificates can be submitted online. Certificates will be made available online too. With the public not required to visit the offices to get things done, the existing leeway for corrupt practices will also be cut out, he added.
