‘Dry’ since 1991, Manipur cabinet legalises liquor

The Manipur cabinet has legalized the sale and consumption of liquor in the state. This decision comes in the midst of an ongoing ethnic conflict and a campaign against drug and alcohol abuse. The cabinet, headed by Chief Minister N Biren Singh, approved the manufacture, production, possession, export, import, transport, purchase, sale, and consumption of liquor. The state government expects to generate an annual revenue of around Rs 600-700 crore from this legalization. Manipur had enacted the ‘Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act’ in 1991 and partially lifted the prohibition last year, with exemptions for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities for brewing liquor under their traditional systems and customary laws.