As the debate over an alcohol bans grows across India, 15 people die every day from alcohol related causes. The per capita consumption of alcohol in India increased 38%, from 1.6 liters in 2003-05 to 2.2 liters in 2010-12, according to an IndiaSpend analysis based on a World Health Organization report. It also revealed that more than 11% of Indians were binge drinkers, against the global average of 16%.
The data explains the wide political tendency for restrictions on alcohol. Kerala, a state in South India where almost 70% of all crimes were caused due to intoxication, according to the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre, restricted the sale of liquor to five-star hotels in August 2014. Bihar, eastern India state, imposed a total ban on the sale, production and consumption of alcohol in April. Now, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa began a phased prohibition by reducing timing of the state-owned liquor outlets and closing 500 outlets on May 23, the first day of her fourth term. Before the recent restrictions, Gujarat and Nagaland were the only Indian states with a prohibition on alcohol.
Both Kerala and Tamil Nadu supported the liquor ban, according to pre-poll surveys, with 47% of respondents in Kerala and 52% in Tamil Nadu in favor of the ban, the Indian Express reported. The leading reason for the ban, respondents said, was alcohol-fuelled domestic violence.
