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News
Indian state completely bans alcohol
The state of Bihar in eastern India has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol, making it the latest region in the country to introduce whole or partial prohibition.
Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar state, India (Photo: Wiki)
The state’s chief minister Nitish Kumar unexpectedly rushed through the ban on Tuesday (5 April) after previously promising to gradually outlaw alcohol following his election last year.
“Now was the right time for social change in Bihar”, he said.
The announcement comes four days into a ban of locally-made alcohol for which Kumar received “great support” from the public, he claimed.
“In the first four days of the ban on country liquor [locally-brewed alcohol], it has become a social movement… And so I feel this is the right time for social change in Bihar”, local news site NDTV quoted Kumar saying.
Kumar was elected on an anti-alcohol platform after linking its consumption to domestic violence and poverty.
His ban has received widespread backing from the state’s political parties and its 243 local representatives who all previously vowed to “stay away from alcohol”.