Prohibition
Drinking is the root of all evils, especially for the backward classes and low income groups. It is a drain on their meager resources making them an easy prey for all the vices. Drinking is more criminal than thieving. A thief steals only earthly possessions but a drunkard steals his own and his neighbour’s honour.
Gandhiji held drinking to be more damnable Char. thieving and perhaps even prostitution for he considered drinking as (he parent of both. Article 47 of the Constitution of India reads “The state shall endeavor to bring about prohibition of the consumption, except for medical purposes, of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health”.
But the Government has miserably failed to carry out Its duties. The problem has aggravated and the number of people addicted to drinking in on the increase. Mary states have withdrawn their prohibition policy not only due to loss of heavy revenue but also to lack of cooperation from the public.
The Indian society adopting western standards considers drinking as a sign of higher social status. With the spread of education, drinking has become a fashion among people. Industrial labourers in the city find drinking a relief, after tiresome work. Efforts taken by the Government to enforce prohibition lacked will, faith and commitments.
Some arguments are submitted against prohibition. In the event of total prohibition, the states will incur heavy losses of revenue. The enforcement of prohibition will throw millions of people out of jobs. Tamilnadu in its programme for enforcing prohibition rendered 60,000 toddy tappers unemployed. Manufacture of liquor has earned foreign money for we are exporting to Canada, Sri Lanka, Adan, Dubai, Kwait and Abhu Dhabi, liquor worth many lakhs of rupees. Tourism, another foreign exchange earnings will be put to loss of liquor is not available for foreign tourists.
But all these arguments are very absurd and not sustainable the material gains accruing from excise duties on liquor is compensated by fines on convicted addicts and license fees for the safe of liquor. There are costs of preventing liquor induced crimes, costs of damages done to life and property, absenteeism in factories and consequent loss of man hours affecting the production.
The colossal erosion of moral standards in a society dominated by liquor addicts is more than anything else.
Drinking has destroyed the peace of many homes, has rendered many children orphan and increased the incidence of crimes beyond all proportions: The sooner -this evil is exterminated, the better it would be for India.
