Home delivery of alcohol; government contradicts itself
Maharashtra government is planning to commemorate Gandhiji on his 150th birth anniversary in a very special way. The government has planned to initiate door delivery of alcohol soon. Excise minister has even issued a statement in this regard. Maharashtra will have the rare distinction of having started something so exquisite among civil services for the first time in the nation. Chief minister Fadnavis has decided to launch this since he does not have anything novel to impress upon people. He has even given a humanitarian reason to his decision. He says that have been many accidents involving drunk people in the recent times. Hence this measure would help check the number of those accidents. Because alcohol has been the main culprit in many incidents.
So you must understand this measure is not to increase alcohol sales but to check the number of accidents. The government will supply alcohol on the same lines as vegetables and groceries so that people save their precious lives owing to this scheme. Maharashtra government has reached the pinnacle of self discipline. It has camouflaged it's bad economic condition that has to be improved by alcohol sales. This measure will not reduce the number of people who will drink and still drive the cars home. The government still not explained what stops people from buying alcohol carrying at home in their own vehicles. With this measure bars will remain bars and homes will also become bus.
The rate of crime may increase instead of coming down. On one hand states like Bihar have been an example for the whole country to follow by banning sale of alcohol. Chief Minister of Bihar has said the rate of crime has come down ever since alcohol was banned in the state. Many states are planning to implement this ban in order to bring down crime and increase efficiency of civic services.
But the Maharashtra government is working in totally opposite direction. RSS has not opened its mouth regarding regularization of sale of alcohol in this manner though BJP speaks as if it is the only agency to uphold the culture of this country. RSS may have considered this as a reestablishment of Dharma because even the Gods and Goddesses consumed alcohol according to Puranas. All over the world, alcohol is one of the chief contributors of rising number of accidents. Can we ever imagine the drivers not to drink when we reach alcohol right to their homes?
In clear terms, only if we ban the sale alcohol, can we stop the drivers from consuming alcohol and driving their vehicles. Keeping the bars and arrack shops open and supplying alcohol directly to homes we can never bring down the rate of alcohol consumption or the rate of crime and accidents. Home delivery of alcohol is bound to have a negative effect on families and relationships within the families. Women will be the biggest victims of this illogical measure. Wives and children will wear heavy brunt on their lives with this. Children can see their parents drinking openly at home, which was an activity that used to happen behind closed doors earlier. This may have negative psychological impact and children may take to drinking sooner than later. excise department which is the biggest contributor to State's exchequer may still reap benefit.Through this the Maharashtra government is saying the Welfare of the society is really not its responsibility. State governments are taking shortcuts to compensate for the bad economical phase the country is passing through. By hook or by crook, they have to fill the coffers of the state's treasury.
As a result of this, Maharashtra government has given steep targets to officers and excise contractors. Which is why this novel idea of home delivery of alcohol seems to have come in their heads. The government which should have thought of novel ways of supplying wheat, rice, do, oil to people's homes has taken up upon itself the responsibility of supplying them with alcohol. When people talk about subsidies the government disease dismisses the stocks as anti developmental talks but now on the government here is criticism about home supply of alcohol it questions about how the government should keep the economy running, if not in this manner.
Looks like the government savita position where they have to run there so by regular rising sale alcohol and brothels or prostitution houses.Is unfortunate at the government laptop bottles of alcohol has come down to home delivering it for its own existence. The government needs to remember something. This measure may bring it some revenue. But this will be a major contributing factor for peoples ill health, economic distress and families breaking up. State's social fabric will suffer as the sale alcohol increases.
This will also contribute to the breaking down of moral consciousness among people. The sale of alcohol will have to be compensated with more than double the expenses on getting people health on track, and getting socio economic situation at a good level. No country is should be forced to run it show by the sale of alcohol. Let those days never descend upon us.
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Take immediate action and arrest Gautam Adani: Congress chief Kharge to Modi govt
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged the Centre to immediately take action against billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, following his indictment in the US in a bribery case.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of shielding Adani, he said the Congress will raise the issue during the upcoming Parliament session and demand an inquiry into the charges.
"We will raise the issue in the Parliament and we will demand an inquiry. As he (Adani) is in India, action should be taken against him, he should be arrested. The government knows everything, so they should quickly take action against him in corruption cases," Kharge told reporters here.
Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of an elaborate scheme to pay USD 265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts.
Adani, India's second-richest man, and seven others, including his nephew Sagar, have been charged by the US Department of Justice with paying bribes to unidentified officials of state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to buy expensive solar power, potentially earning more than USD 2 billion in profit over 20 years.
Adani group has denied all charges and termed them as "baseless".
Noting that for five to six years, the Congress has repeatedly raised the issue, he said, "They (Adani and company) are involved in corruption cases. But Modi does not even utter anything against him."
"Home Minister Amit Shah has ED, CBI with him. Despite having all these agencies, why is no inquiry being done? Last time when we raised the issue following the Hindenburg report they were dismissive about it, saying it is foreign thing, it is false."
The Congress has been saying things against Adani, and will continue to say what it has to, the party chief said. "But from abroad too corruption allegations are coming, they (US) are clearly saying it. If the allegations are false, file a defamation case against them. You may accuse us (Congress) of making allegations politically, but everybody is saying it -- Hindenburg, America..."
Further, he said his party's concern is that India's assets are being "given" to Adani. Airports, ports, public sectors, land, energy sectors are being given to him (to operate).
"If he (Adani) does things in a legal manner, we have no objection. Government land is being taken, based on those assets loans worth thousands of crores are being taken from government banks. As he is doing all these things, we feel that the government is fully protecting and helping him, and through him they (BJP) are obtaining help or benefits for their party," he said.
In what seems to be comments directed at PM Modi, Kharge said, "Claiming to be just and clean in speeches is not enough, your conduct should also be clean..."
"Several investments are being taken to his state (Gujarat), instead of others. This will not lead to all India development or progress from Kanyakumari to Kashmir," the Congress veteran said, adding that "Making one person rich (hinting at Adani) will make small industries suffer. Other industrialists are also there. If you favour a person close to you so much, where will you encourage other industrialists?"
Kharge said going by the way things are being done "it seems they want to become quick crorepatis or billionaires, and want to be known among the richest in the world by creating fake records of assets."
"So, he (Adani) is doing it, and he is being encouraged by Modi and Shah," he alleged.
