Drought-hit not drinking enough, says excise min

Excise minister MP Renukacharya on Friday stated that consumption of liquor came down sharply in six drought-hit districts in the state. At the same time Dakshina Kannada witnessed high growth in liquor sales, while Bangalore region too had substantial growth.

The minister told reporters that liquor consumption in drought-prone north Karnataka districts Raichur, Yadgir, Bellary, Bijapur, Dharwad and Gulbarga came down. In these districts the department  failed to meet the target for April-September period.
However, other drought-hit districts such as Chitradurga, Belgaum, Ramanagar, Tumkur, Haveri and Kodagu and four divisions of Bangalore showed moderate growth in liquor sales, the minister stated.

Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts stood first and second respectively in the state, as far as rate of growth in liquor sales was concerned. Dakshina Kannada recorded 13.7% growth, while in Uttara Kannada it was 10.47%.

The minister said that the `9,200-crore excise revenue target for this period has been achieved. “The department has
collected `9,827 crore revenue. As much as `627 crore additional income has been collected by the department,” he explained.

He said that from next month he will conduct massive raids in various places in the state. “I will travel to all districts of the state and hold zonal meetings of the officers to curb the menace of illicit liquor,” he stated.