Looking to increase revenue collection: More intense debates likely

Increased number of tourists to the State. Cabinet discussing plans and modalities to legalise marijuana cultivation for medicinal and industrial purposes, decision to double excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor brought in for the Assam Rifles, Army and para-military forces and serious talks underway on whether the State would benefit from lifting prohibition and allow licensed sale of alcohol and clearly the BJP led Government here is intent on increasing the revenue of the State. All very good, but as is the case with anything when it comes to items considered to be intoxicants, there are bound to be debates and arguments amongst the people. It is still not clear whether the State Government did reach out to the numerous civil society organisations when the Cabinet decided to discuss the policy and modalities of legalising the cultivation of marijuana but one can expect debates and discussions when this move is actually tabled to legalise the cultivation of ganja. Same is the case with the ongoing talks on the merits and demerits of lifting prohibition which has been in force since the early part of the 1990s. It is the debate on prohibition which will be interesting. Everyone knows under what circumstances prohibition was effected in the State. The recent history of Manipur would never be complete without a reference to the Meira Paibi movement and to understand this movement, it is important to acknowledge that the earlier avatar of the Meira Paibi movement were the Nishabandh bodies of womenfolk who were active in each and every locality of the State. It was in the 1970s that womenfolk came together and kept vigil to check drunkenness and abuse of alcohol and its negative impact on the health of the alcohol abuser as well as its effect on the family members.
Such a force did the Nishabandh movement became that those who grew up in the 70s would remember the march of these women activists during the Republic Day parade held in the heart of Imphal town. Those were the days before Republic Day came to be under the boycott call of different armed groups. The Nishabandh movement then metamorphosed into the present day Meira Paibi movement and it is this phenomenon that votaries of the stand that prohibition must go will have to address to satisfactorily. On the other hand, it also stands that a number of civil society organisations came to be born, all under the aim of fighting intoxicants, particularly alcohol and drugs. This movement too will have to be taken into account if and when any decision to lift prohibition is taken. On the other hand, it also stands that prohibition has not stopped people from drinking. People still drink, though drunkenness on the roads of Imphal is something barely seen these days. It also stands that prohibition has led to the absence of any regulation to oversee the production and sale of country made liquor and the same is available everywhere. One downside of prohibition is the sale of country made liquor and IMFL in areas which were hitherto not associated with the sale of liquor. The reality is today there are vendor shops in almost every locality, thereby making alcohol available at one’s door step ! The final word is yet to be said, but the debate on prohibition and alcohol will be really interesting.