The lovely tale of Liquor
during Lockdown and before
At every stage, addiction is driven by one of the most powerful, mysterious, and
vital forces of human existence. What drives addiction is longing —
a longing not just of brain, belly, or loins but finally of the heart.
Cornelius Platinga
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The use of alcohol in India for drinking purposes dates back to somewhere between 3000 and 2000 BC. An alcoholic beverage called Sura which was distilled from the rice was popular at that time in India for common men to unwind at the end of a stressful day. . Yet the first mention of Alcohol appears in Rig Veda (1700BC). It mentions intoxicants like soma and prahamana. Although the soma plant might not exist today, it was famous for delivering a euphoric high. It was also recorded in the Samhita, the medical compendium of Sushruta that he who drinks soma will not age and will be impervious to fire, poison, or weapon attack. The sweet juice of Soma was also said to help establish a connection with the gods. Such was the popularity of alcohol. Initially used for medicinal purposes, with time it evolved and became the beverage that brought life to social gatherings, and eventually consuming alcohol has become a habit for many.
With such a rich history of not just humans but also of the gods,
what is a worldwide pandemic to stop anybody from drinking?
. . .
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According to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2018, an average Indian drinks approximately 5.7 liters of alcohol every year. In a population of casual and excessive drinkers, with the shutters of liquor stores down, it must have been extremely difficult for “certain” people to survive lockdown. In the first two phases of lockdown, the desperation had quadrupled prices of alcohol in the Grey Market of India. Also, According to Google Trends, online searches for “how to make alcohol at home” peaked in India during the fourth week of March, which was the same when the lockdown was announced. As a consequence, a few people died drinking home-brewed liquor. People committed suicide due to alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Owing to the worsening situation and to reboot the economy, some states decided to open licensed liquor stores in the third phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown in India. This decision was the worst best decision the state governments could take. The kilometer-long queues in front of liquor stores were evidence that a pandemic can turn your life upside down yet your relationship with alcohol cannot move an inch.
The love in the hearts of those who are addicted was explicit. We might have seen addiction, we might have witnessed desperation but what happened in the month of May was madness, not just in terms of the way people pounced but also in the way the government earned. According to a report by Hindustan Times, on the first day of the third phase of Lockdown, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh recorded a sale of over Rs 100 Crore from liquor. On the second day of the reopening of Liquor stores, Karnataka reported sales of 197 crores in a single day which was the largest ever. Eventually, the prices of Liquor were hiked to 100% to discourage people from drinking.
. . .
​
There was a special corona fee that was imposed in Delhi by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A 70% corona fee was imposed in Delhi, yet the sales did not drop. The entire situation was a disaster for the law enforcement officers, social distancing was easily abandoned and a basic code of conduct was happily violated. Despite the chaos created, the states continued to collect revenues. Home delivery of alcohol was allowed in Maharashtra and e-tokens were sold in Delhi.
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Demand for liquor is inelastic which means that
the sale of alcohol is not much responsive to change in prices.
In general, since alcohol policy is a state subject in India, revenue from Liquor is a cash cow for state governments. In 2018 and 2019, four states collectively collected about 20,000 crores in taxes from the sale of liquor. As much as the state earns from the sale of Liquor it is undoubtedly, a threat to the Economy. Consumption of alcohol has dire health consequences. When a person consumes an alcoholic beverage, there is a rise in BAC because of which there is a gradual and progressive loss of driving ability because of an increase in reaction time, overconfidence, degraded muscle coordination, impaired concentration, and decreased auditory and visual acuity. This is known as drunken driving. (V. M. Anantha Eashwar, 2020) Drunken driving is the third biggest cause of road accidents and over speeding in India. Road accidents are not it; alcoholism causes sleep problems, heart, and liver issues. Also, it is not about an individual’s life, it ruins the lives of all people concerned.
Addiction also causes economic loss. In 2000, Vivek Benegal and his team assessed 113 patients admitted to a special de-addiction service for alcohol dependence. They found that
the average individual earned a mean of ₹1,661 but
spent ₹1,938 per month on alcohol, incurring high debt.
They also found that 95% did not work for about 14 days in a month. They concluded that it led to a loss of ₹13,823 per person per year in terms of foregone productivity. A more recent study, Health Impact and Economic Burden of Alcohol Consumption in India, led by Gaurav Jyani, concluded that alcohol-attributable deaths would lead to a loss of 258 million life-years between 2011 and 2050. The study placed the economic burden on the health system at $48.11 billion, and the societal burden (including health costs, productivity loss, and so on) at $1,867 billion. “This amounts to an average loss of 1.45% of the gross domestic product (GDP) per year to the Indian economy,” the study said. (Mint, 2020)
Setho ka Gaon
With each passing day, the ‘curtain of separation’ weighs down on the women of Afghanistan, paving the way for tyranny to thrive.
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ARTH TOONS
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By Disha Garg
Designer, Editorial Board
Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which is the India’s most used digital payments method, has been making headway in other countries in recent months. Many nations including Singapore, Bhutan, Malaysia, UAE, Nepal, France, Oman, etc. have implemented UPI payments so far with countries like Australia and Russia to be the future markets of the same.
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Whereas, forewarning about the financial crisis that could be led by excessive dependence on crypto till present time. In comparison to Crypto, CBDC is distinct and there is no compeititon among them in approaching future.
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Designer, Editorial Board
This cartoon depicts the opportunity earned by India in G20 Summit, Bali (Indonesia) to lead the agenda of 'Digital Economy'. India's digital economy has seen tremendous growth in the past decade; a growing user base of 800 million plus internet users. As India takes up G20 presidency, India's success in creating a citizen-centric digital economy will be displayed as a model of creative use of technology to be replicated in other parts of the world.
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These days scammers are finding new ways to trick and fraud people. One such fraud which is not new but still making people fall for it is the QR code scam. Many people reportedly fall victim to QR code scams where fraudsters clean their bank accounts using a QR code.
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India Today Tech team members came across an incident where a person tried to trick and asked to send money using a QR code.
Volume 5, Issue 1: Fall Edition
By Shlok Trivedi
Hindu College
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, popularly known as the big bull, was an Indian billionaire business magnate, Chartered Accountant, stock trader, and investor. He was also known for his bullishness in the Indian economy but passed away on 14th August 2022.
Now, the question arises who will be the next big bull?
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Senior Designer, Editorial Board
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Saturday projected approximately $100 billion FDI in the current fiscal year.
While on the other hand, as a result of central bank's intervention to preserve the rupee, forex reserves have fallen by almost $100 billion, or 13.9%,compared to September 2021, when they peaked at $641 billion, according to RBI statistics. In comparison to the US dollar, rupee has decreased by roughly 6.8% in 2022, a far lesser decline than most of its competitors.
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Senior Designer, Editorial Board
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Among the challenges faced globally, what are more striking that ever before is the ever surging inflation, a war in Russia - Ukraine and the delayed effects of development because of the pandemic.
Volume 4, Issue 2: Winter Edition
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Designer, Editorial Board
The incoming third wave brings with it increased restrictions on all economic activities. With RBI predicting a downward trend for GDP growth in Q4 FY22, the headache for an ever favorable budget continues
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Senior Designer, Editorial Board
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Senior Designer, Editorial Board
With each passing day, the ‘curtain of separation’ weighs down on the women of Afghanistan, paving the way for tyranny to thrive.
Volume 4, Issue 1: Monsoon Edition
By Kapish Jalan
Senior Designer, Editorial Board
The recent announcement of the 'New Economic Package' by the Finance Minister was not met with much enthusiasm by analysts. Fiscal expenditure would have has long term effects. After all, economic recovery is not a piece of cake!
Caricature source:
Satish Acharya . Nirmala Sitharman's Budget . July 5, 2019 . Twitter India . July 1, 2021
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Senior Designer, Editorial Board
The hike in the petrol prices in major metropolitans in India is unprecedented. The prices were revised sixth time this month. With such high taxes levied on fuel, it is definite to make a hole in the buyer's wallet.
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Design Director, Editorial Board
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The new ministry has been well in place with the motive to realize prosperity through cooperation. Meanwhile, the other countless cards are also sensational enough to be focused on. Well, how the benefits from the recent move unfold this time is yet to be seen.
Caricature source:
Satish Acharya . Chhotu Chaiwala! Sify cartoon. Jan 21, 2014 . Twitter India . July 18, 2021