The government denied granting permission to serve liquor at wedding halls, even as the opposition parties slammed the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's move to dilute the total prohibition policy.
Ironically, rival Tamil Nadu governments expend the most on social welfare schemes, especially targeting women and youth and children, but that money comes only by selling more liquor. There is always the specious plea, which has been peddled very many times in the past, that without licensed liquor, drinkers would go after hooch and there could be more hooch tragedies and hooch deaths. No one is convinced, but no one can dispute it either, comments N Sathiya Moorthy.
Delhi on Friday got its first liquor outlet at a shopping mall which promises less hassles in buying spirits as compared to that from regular shops.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police was assaulted by armed liquor smugglers when he along with his team went to raid an illicit liquor shop in Pilkhuwa area in Ghaziabad, police said on Wednesday.
If alcohol-based sanitisers can kill coronavirus on the hands, there is no reason why alcoholic drinks may not kill the virus in tipplers' throats, a Congress MLA has argued, seeking the reopening of liquor shops in Rajasthan. Congress MLA Bharat Singh Kundanpur put forward the argument in all seriousness in his letter written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday, urging him to open liquor shops in the state.
Almost 70 per cent of alcohol distribution in India happens through liquor vends or shops, while 30 per cent happens on-premise, that is, in bars, pubs, and hotels.
Undeterred by the threat of coronavirus infection or the 'special corona fee' of 70 per cent levied on alcohol, hundreds of tipplers queued up outside liquor vends in the national capital for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, keeping the police on their toes.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate to threaten liquor licensees and excise officials but the BJP alleged that the AAP government's 'rushed' move was an 'admission of violations and corruption' and it was 'scared' of the CBI probe.
'Whether I turn 75 or 85, I will remain active in politics and contest the next election. I like politics very much'
The relaxation came amid indications that the number of new COVID-19 cases in Mumbai is more or less stabilising since the last few days.
Terming this occasion as special, CM Yogi said that liquor shops should be kept closed in the state on January 22.
made it clear that shops in market places, multi-brand and single brand malls located in municipality areas shall continue to remain closed till May 3.
The IAS officer was later taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is expected to be produced before a magistrate seeking his remand, the sources said.
The Adani group plans to bid for setting up duty-free shops at the Macau international airport, as India's largest airport operator spreads its wings overseas. In a stock exchange filing, Adani Enterprises, the flagship firm of the conglomerate run by billionaire Gautam Adani, said it has completed the incorporation of a wholly-owned subsidiary, MTRPL Macau Ltd, in Macau on November 20. The subsidiary has been incorporated for the purpose of getting into the duty-free industry.
The state government has decided to open the retail liquor vends throughout the state barring in coronavirus 'containment zones', Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said.
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu consistently emphasises, among others, the issue during his campaign, alleging that the state has been supplying poor quality liquor while profiting immensely from 'inflated' prices, running to thousands of crores of rupees.
Diljit's songs, such as Patiala Pegg and Panchatara, were specifically mentioned in the complaint.
The Supreme Court of India has repeatedly criticized the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for exceeding its authority and misusing its powers. The latest rebuke came on Thursday, when the court accused the agency of 'crossing all limits' in a money laundering probe against a Tamil Nadu state-run liquor retailer. This follows a string of similar observations by the Supreme Court and high courts across India, raising concerns about the ED's investigative practices and the potential for misuse of its powers.
The ED said its investigation also revealed that from 2019 to 2022, the sale of 'unaccounted illicit' liquor was almost 30-40 per cent of the total liquor sale in the state.
Kerala is likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam, the harvest festival, with the season already reporting a 30 per cent hike. According to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo), the first few days of this Onam season have set the tone for record sales. "During last year's Onam season, our sales were around Rs 561 crore. This year, we expect it to be over Rs 700 crore," said Yogesh Gupta, chairman and managing director, BevCo.
A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's parliamentary constituency Gorakhpur on Sunday pulled up a woman IPS officer publicly leaving her teary-eyed, an incident which was captured on camera and triggered a spate of allegations.
The CSD runs one of the largest retail store chains in the country with over 3,500 canteens spread from Siachen glacier in the north to Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory in the southernmost part of the country.
The MHA on Friday, while extending the lockdown for two more weeks till May 17, lifted many restrictions in green and orange zones. There are no restrictions on sale of non-essential items by e-commerce platforms in green and orange zones, a home ministry spokesperson said, adding barber shops and salons are also allowed to open in these areas.
The deceased in the Saturday night incident has been identified as Jaleel, the police said.
A phased roll-out of prohibition will hit revenues of companies, which get 5% of their volume sales from the state
Mahamandleshwar Swami Dharamdev said the yatra conveyed a powerful message of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood across the country.
"It is not a crime to be a Hindu. It is not their (Islamic) State."
Around 2,500 personnel from police and paramilitary have been deployed in the district this year a day before the yatra, police said.
The Tamil Nadu Toddy Movement had met both Chief Minister Palaniswami and Stalin to seek their intervention in lifting the ban on toddy-tapping and had submitted petitions, but there it remained. So the matter is being taken to the people's court.
Shutting of stores had not stopped alcohol sales. On the contrary, it had increased black market operations and peddling of illicit hooch, which could cause death/serious injury.
Liquor sales will obviously be hit. So, will real estate prices at what used to be prime locations, close to major thoroughfares. Food and snack sales close to highways will also, in all probability, be affected.
Prohibition is resulting in prisons getting overcrowded.
No alcohol was served in bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels and none could be bought either as permits expired on July 31.
It also includes Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari and MP home minister Narottam Mishra.
ndependent of the political fallout, which Stalin has sought to arrest through the withdrawal of the measures as fast as they were introduced, there are concerns about the way those decisions came to be taken, without adequate application of mind, not in official terms but in political and electoral contexts, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
"We respect the Supreme Court order. We will take suggestions from legal experts to see whether there can be a middle path," Sharma said.
Massive crowds thronged liquor stores, more vehicles plied on roads and cab-hailing platforms resumed services as India entered the third phase of the lockdown on Monday with further easing of curbs except in containment zones in the shadow of the highest rate of recovery yet from coronavirus.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday morning raided the premises of Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, officials said.
Hazare also said it seems the new policy will encourage liquor sale and consumption and spur corruption.
Five years after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar imposed total prohibition in Bihar, the liquor mafia continues to thrive, reports MI Khan.
