Rep ese tative
image
NEW
DELHI:
Biha
should
withd aw
its
p ohibitio
o
alcohol
as
the
ba
has
failed
to
educe
c imes
agai st
wome
a d
has
bee
accompa ied
by
a
ise
i
illicit
liquo
a d
alte ative
i toxica ts,
acco di g
to
a
esea ch
pape
by
eco omic
thi k
ta k
Natio al
Cou cil
of
Applied
Eco omic
Resea ch
(NCAER).The
pape ,
titled
‘Mac o
Pe spective
of
Biha ‘s
Developme t
Achieveme ts,
U fi ished
Age da,
a d
the
Way
Fo wa d’,
also
said
esto i g
liquo
excise
duty
to
p e-ba
levels
could
i c ease
the
state’s
ow
eve ues
by
14-15
pe
ce t
while
educi g
expe ditu e
o
e fo ceme t
a d
a ti-smuggli g
ope atio s.P epa ed
by
a
team
of
eco omists
led
by
Rat a
Sahay
a d
p ese ted
at
the
I dia
Policy
Fo um,
the
pape
exami ed
the
eco omic
a d
social
impact
of
Biha ‘s
p ohibitio ,
i t oduced
i
Ap il
2016.
Ba
failed
to
educe
c imes
agai st
wome ,
says
pape
Ba
failed
to
educe
c imes
agai st
wome ,
says
pape
The
pape
said
the
p ima y
easo s
fo
i t oduci g
p ohibitio
we e
the
belief
that
alcohol
co sumptio
co t ibuted
sig ifica tly
to
domestic
viole ce
a d
that
households
would
edi ect
mo ey
p eviously
spe t
o
alcohol
towa ds
mo e
p oductive
uses.Wome ‘s
g oups
a d
activists
had
also
st o gly
backed
the
ba ,
a gui g
that
p ohibitio
would
educe
alcohol- elated
abuse.Howeve ,
the
NCAER
esea che s
said
available
data
ow
allows
a
assessme t
of
whethe
those
objectives
we e
achieved.
“We
ow
have
sufficie t
data
a d
i fo matio
to
assess
if
the
ba
was
effective.
Repo ted
c imes
agai st
wome
i
Biha
have
ot
decli ed
followi g
the
i t oductio
of
p ohibitio .
I stead,
total
epo ted
c imes
agai st
wome
i c eased
ove
the
post-2016
pe iod,”
the
pape
said.Acco di g
to
the
study,
the
available
evide ce
does
ot
show
a
b oad-based
eductio
i
c imes
agai st
wome
afte
p ohibitio .
I stead,
it
said
the
ba
coi cided
with
co ce s
ove
the
expa sio
of
illicit
liquo
etwo ks,
e fo ceme t
difficulties
a d
co uptio .The
pape
also
poi ted
to
i c eased
use
of
alte ative
i toxica ts,
i cludi g
illicit
d ugs.“I
ta dem,
the e
was
a
sig ifica t
ise
i
illegal
liquo
t ade
leadi g
to
highe
alcohol
co sumptio ,
i c eased
c ime
a d
co uptio ,
a d
a
i c ease
i
the
use
of
alte ative
additive
substa ces,
such
as
illicit
d ugs,”
it
said.
P ohibitio
has
also
hit
state
eve ues
P ohibitio
has
also
hit
state
eve ues
The
NCAER
pape
said
Biha
suffe ed
sig ifica t
fiscal
co seque ces
afte
the
ba .
Befo e
p ohibitio ,
excise
duty
o
alcohol
accou ted
fo
about
14
pe
ce t
of
the
state’s
ow
eve ues
i
the
th ee
yea s
p ecedi g
the
ba .At
the
same
time,
the
gove me t
i cu ed
highe
expe ditu e
o
mo ito i g,
e fo ceme t
a d
a ti-smuggli g
ope atio s,
which
the
pape
said
added
to
fiscal
p essu es.The
esea che s
a gued
that
ei stati g
liquo
excise
duty
at
histo ical
levels
could
help
esto e
the
co t ibutio
of
the
tax
to
a ou d
14
pe
ce t
of
state
eve ues.The
pape
co cluded
that
the
p ohibitio
had
ot
achieved
its
i te ded
objectives
a d
had
i stead
coi cided
with
highe
epo ted
c imes
agai st
wome ,
loss
of
state
eve ue
a d
i c eased
e fo ceme t
expe ditu e.
Educatio ,
health
a d
jobs
amo g
Biha ‘s
p io ities
Educatio ,
health
a d
jobs
amo g
Biha ‘s
p io ities
Beyo d
p ohibitio ,
the
pape
ide tified
six
i te co ected
a eas
that
it
said
should
fo m
the
co e
of
Biha ‘s
developme t
st ategy:
educatio ,
health,
gove a ce
a d
law
a d
o de ,
flood
mitigatio ,
p ivate-secto
developme t
a d
wome ‘s
empowe me t.It
said
efo ms
i
these
a eas
we e
ecessa y
to
imp ove
p oductivity,
accele ate
st uctu al
t a sfo matio
a d
c eate
bette -quality
jobs
fo
Biha ‘s
you g
populatio .The
study
also
exami ed
the
state’s
public
debt
a d
fiscal
sustai ability,
a d
assessed
the
fi a ci g
equi ed
fo
diffe e t
efo m
sce a ios.
It
called
fo
a
combi atio
of
st o ge
ow – eve ue
mobilisatio ,
mo e
efficie t
public
spe di g,
additio al
ce t al
gove me t
suppo t
a d,
whe e
ecessa y,
fu the
bo owi g.
Joi
co ve satio
All
Comme ts
→
Sha e
you
thoughts
i
the
comme ts
I sightful
Readi g
Developme t
Comme t
Be
espectful
·
TOI
commu ity
guideli es
The
pape
oted
that
imp oveme ts
i
law
a d
o de
had
played
a
impo ta t
ole
i
Biha ‘s
eco omic
ecove y
afte
2005,
whe
the
state
gove me t
u de
Nitish
Kuma
placed
g eate
emphasis
o
polici g,
c imi al
p osecutio ,
judicial
efo ms
a d
admi ist ative
accou tability.It
also
highlighted
Biha ‘s
sig ifica ce
fo
I dia’s
b oade
developme t
goals,
oti g
that
the
state
is
the
cou t y’s
seco d
most
populous
a d
emai s
its
poo est.Biha ‘s
populatio
is
estimated
at
13.2
c o e
i
2026,
acco di g
to
the
pape ,
accou ti g
fo
mo e
tha
9
pe
ce t
of
I dia’s
populatio .
It
oted
that
the
state’s
populatio
is
la ge
tha
that
of
all
but
10
sove eig
cou t ies.
