India to Draft National Alcohol Policy February 5
Last year, India marked the birth anniversary of one of the country’s most revered icons, Mahatma Gandhi, by imposing what was then termed as the “world’s biggest smoking ban”. Close to one and a quarter billion people were banned from lighting up a stick in bars, offices, bus stops and other public places or risk being fined 200 rupees, which is just about equivalent to a day’s wages for many Indians.
With the smoking ban in place, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss now turns his attention to alcohol abuse. Taking the demographic considered as high-risk for substance abuse, Ramadoss is seeking to reduce the amount of alcohol consumption of the yuppie generation and below, all in the name of improving general public health.
The policy, which is still in its early draft stages, is expected to include provisions for the opening and closing times of stores that sell alcoholic beverages; an increase in the number of dry days or alcohol ban days to include all days succeeding a pay day; a crack down on surrogate advertisements; regulation of the distance of stores selling alcoholic beverages from institutes of learning; and a uniform legal age limit across the country for the right to consume alcohol. Incidentally, the move for an alcohol policy comes in the wake of another Gandhi milestone — India celebrated Gandhi’s 61st death anniversary last January 30th.
Ramadoss cites a provision in Article 47 of the constitution, which states that the government is allowed to formulate any law in the interest of public health. The minister has tasked the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore, India, to draft the guidelines over the next six months, in consultation with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Health Ministry.
Tags: Alcohol, india, law, policy
Jay Bharat, USA Feb 5
A GREAT IDEA FOR THE SAKE OF INDIA’S HEALTH.