{"id":45794,"date":"2025-06-20T21:18:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T15:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45794"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:26:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T12:56:53","slug":"rethinking-alcohol-control-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2025\/rethinking-alcohol-control-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Alcohol Control in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has recorded one of the highest rates of heavy episodic alcohol drinking, with lakhs needing clinical and social support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Present status&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alcohol and alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, which is a psychoactive and toxic substance with dependence-producing properties.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alcohol has been widely used in many cultures for centuries, but it is associated with significant health risks and harms.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The safe level of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2025\/rethinking-alcohol-control-in-india\"><strong>alcohol consumption<\/strong><\/a> is zero, yet <strong>23% of Indian men <\/strong>and <strong>1% of women consume alcohol (NFHS-5).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for Consumption&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alcohol use is influenced by a complex mix of <strong>biopsychosocial, commercial, and policy factors.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Biologically<\/strong>, some people are genetically prone to addiction, while psychologically and socially, stress relief, peer pressure, and media portrayals normalize drinking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercially<\/strong>, the industry targets new and younger consumers with diverse products, surrogate advertising, promotions, and strategic placements, often amplified by social media.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Easy access<\/strong> is ensured through widespread liquor store locations and attractive packaging, while pricing makes alcohol affordable for both rural lower-income groups and urban middle classes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy-wise,<\/strong> the alcohol industry heavily influences regulation, resisting stricter laws by highlighting its revenue contributions, and circumvents advertising bans through covert marketing tactics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts of Alcohol Consumption<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Health Impact: Alcohol use significantly increases risks of injuries<\/strong>, mental illness, non-communicable diseases like cancer, and is linked to aggression, crime, suicides, and risky behavior.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Impact:<\/strong> While states earn heavily through excise duty (~\u20b92.5 lakh crore annually), the social cost of alcohol outweighs this gain, according to NITI Aayog estimates.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Workplace absenteeism, job loss, and decreased efficiency are major outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social Impact:<\/strong> NCRB reports reveal a high correlation between alcohol use and cases of domestic abuse, marital rape, and child neglect.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Easy availability, peer pressure, and glorification on social media have led to a rise in underage drinking, particularly in metros.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Regulation Status&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alcohol regulation in India falls under <strong>State jurisdiction<\/strong>, granting each State authority over legislation, excise taxes, supply chain, licensing and manufacturing, sale and consumption restrictions, prohibition, and pricing.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some States like Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram, and Nagaland enforce prohibition, while others like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala promote alcohol sales with policies such as affordable pricing and marketing traditional beverages.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Various Policies&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alcohol was initially excluded from India\u2019s <strong>2012 National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances<\/strong> but was later included in the 2021-22 National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction under <strong>Nasha Mukta Bharat Abhiyan.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>National Mental Health Policy (NMHP) 2014<\/strong> recognised the role of alcohol in mental illness and suicide prevention and suggested the need for a specific action plan.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>National Health Policy (NHP) 2017<\/strong> mentioned <strong>curbing alcohol use<\/strong> through <strong>higher taxation.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The<strong> National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS) 2022 <\/strong>identified alcohol as a <strong>major risk factor for suicides<\/strong>, advocating for a national alcohol control policy and measures to limit alcohol accessibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>National Action Plan and Monitoring Framework for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NMAP)<\/strong> 2017-2022 also echoed the call for a national alcohol policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Issues and Concerns&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The national policies address specific issues like drunk driving or supply-chain regulation but India currently lacks a comprehensive, unified national alcohol regulation policy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The efforts to reduce alcohol demand and supply are fragmented across various Central ministries and States.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The GST Act excludes liquor from sales tax, leaving alcohol taxation largely to States, often under vague excise policies.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Suggestions and Way Forward&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regulating alcohol in India is urgent but complex due to its ties with State revenues, social norms, and politics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A comprehensive, evidence-based, and equitable systems approach is needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Key measures include\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pricing alcohol to deter misuse <\/strong>without encouraging illicit liquor, earmarking health taxes for public health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Restricting alcohol availability<\/strong> in daily environments,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulating digital and influencer-driven<\/strong> advertising, enforcing plain packaging and warning labels,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increasing public awareness<\/strong> of alcohol\u2019s health risks, and using AI to control online alcohol content and misinformation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A unified National Alcohol Control Policy is essential to prioritize public health over profits and ensure long-term well-being.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:TH<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India has recorded one of the highest rates of heavy episodic alcohol drinking, with lakhs needing clinical and social support.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Present status\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Alcohol and alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, which is a psychoactive and toxic substance with dependence-producing properties.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Alcohol has been widely used in many cultures for centuries, but it is associated with significant health risks and harms.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The safe level of alcohol consumption is zero, yet 23% of Indian men and 1% of women consume alcohol (NFHS-5).<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2025\/rethinking-alcohol-control-in-india\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45794"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48258,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45794\/revisions\/48258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}