The government’s liquor policy will be centred around the abstinence spelled out in the manifesto of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), Minister for Excise and Labour T.P. Ramakrishnan has told the Assembly.
Replying to demands for grants for Excise, Labour and Labour Welfare in the revised budget for 2016-17 on Monday, the Minister said an action plan will be worked out for liquor abstinence and it will be made public after discussing in LDF.
The views of the people will be taken into account by the government when the liquor policy is finalised. The government will not encourage any illegal measures being adopted by those running licenced beer and wine parlours in the State, he said citing the closure of one in the capital that flouted the rules.
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Stating that the findings of the study carried out by Kerala Tourism had found that the curbs on liquor introduced by the previous UDF regime had affected MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) badly, the Minister said concerns of the stakeholders would be addressed when the new liquor policy was worked out.
To the repeated queries from the Leader of Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala and others from the UDF on whether the LDF government would reopen the bars that were closed down, the Minister said, ‘Dont be in a hurry. The new liquor policy is due in February next. You stand for prohibition and we are for abstinence. The LDF has the mandate of the people for that.”