The Indian subsidiary of Denmark-based beer manufacturer Carlsberg has launched an initiative to promote “responsible drinking” in India.
To promote the intended message, the company posted a 10-second video on YouTube late Wednesday, asking people to leave their cars behind when they decide to go out drinking.
“To address irresponsible drinking effectively, everyone ‒ from retailers, bar-owners, educators and parents to law enforcers, role models and, not least, consumers themselves need to be involved. Effective regulation must be supported by concrete, targeted actions,” Carlsberg India wrote in a blog-post.
Last year, the company launched a similar 20-second video on YouTube as part of its 2018 “Don't Drink and Drive” initiative.
The announcement of this year’s initiative from the Copenhagen-headquartered company comes almost a week after the Carlsberg Group, along with other global brewers, brewery associations and business partners celebrated the 5th annual Global Beer Responsibility Day (GBRD) on 20 September.
Alcohol per capita consumption has increased in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions in the last decade.
These regions include highly-populated China and India, which account for the increases (China: 4.1 litres, 7.1 litres and 7.2 litres in 2005, 2010 and 2016 respectively; India: 2.4 litres, 4.3 litres and 5.7 litres in 2005, 2010 and 2016 respectively).
In fact, over the next five years, the female consumer base for alcohol is expected to increase 25% percent in India, a media report said, citing a study by the Indian Government’s Centre for Alcohol Studies.
Earlier in January, a statistical report highlighted that in India, between 2008 and 2017, a total of 76,446 people had died in 211,405 road accidents nationwide due to drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
To combat the catastrophic repercussions of drink driving, the penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol has been increased to $140 (Rs.10,000) in India under a newly-amended Motor Vehicles Act that came into force on 1 September, 2019.
For the second offence, there will be a prison term of up to two years and/or a fine of $210 (Rs.15,000) for drink driving in India.