While speaking at the launch of Jeevan 2.0, the Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha, Mohan Raj Majhi, announced that no new liquor shop shall be opened in the state in the next three years. This particular rule will come into effect from April 1. This is part of the zero-tolerance policy toward substance abuse that the state is adopting. Here are all of the other important details that you would need to know about this particular update in the Indian state of Odisha.
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The Odisha government is currently attempting to discourage the consumption of alcohol and is addressing social harms related to drug abuse. To that end, it has launched Jeevan Zindabad 2.0, a social awareness campaign against substance abuse.
While speaking at the launch of Jeevan Zindabad 2.0, the CM stated that the campaign will particularly focus on curbing the availability of alcohol in Odisha as well as its consumption, along with an emphasis on drug-related crimes. Hence, no new liquor shops will be permitted to open in the next three years in the state. The rule will come into force from April 1, 2027, onwards.
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Among other things, the CM expressed concerns over the negative impact of alcohol consumption on society. While speaking, he also cited some figures and stated that each year, around 260,000 to 280,000 people die owing to alcohol consumption.
He also mentioned that drunk driving and accidents caused by drunk driving had also become quite common and that they needed to be curbed by hook or by crook.
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The telos behind the rule is quite noble and can certainly help in curbing addiction and alcohol-related deaths. However, many people have also questioned the arbitrariness of prohibiting new liquor shops for three years. It is not yet clear why three years have been given for this and not any other number of years.
