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.
. . .
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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.
Arth
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DILLI AND AUTO-RIKSHAW
The Transportation Department of India pledges through its new policy to register 25% of all its new vehicles as electric, the auto rickshaw market fails to transit smoothly as the policy provides no economical and social protection to these diesel based auto rickshaw drivers. Government has incentivised Electric Rickshaw owners in order to generate greater demand and localize its reach (under FAME II POLICY; Faster Adoption and Manufacturing Electric Vehicles in India).
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India’s capital Delhi, has a rich colossal history and great economic capacity. Unlike the other neighboring states having substandard development, slow paced technological advancement and unemployment problems, Delhi attracts abundant migrants for employment and educational opportunities. Hence, the city has generated an extensive economy in accordance to its ever evolving nature. While the DMRC metro connectivity is the biggest boon to the city, its road connectivity is pocket friendly too thanks to its easy accessibility for buses and rickshaws. Though the innards of this auto-rickshaw industry are not exclusively monitored as it falls under the unorganized sector, it is estimated that in India, the auto rickshaw market varies from 15000-30,000 in Tier-II cities and 50,000 plus in Tier-I cities such as Delhi. The numbers represent the auto rickshaw industry being a source of livelihood to a significant number of people, especially the unskilled migrant workers translocating to metropolitan cities.
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Although while traveling, one has abundant cheap means to reach their destination, one of such means; the auto-rickshaw market, has been in decline with respect to its consumer demand and its adjustment with competitive startups such as Ola and Uber. An average resident of Delhi who frequently uses public transportation may have been a part of such “squabbles” where the auto rickshaw driver is persistent on getting paid through cash, especially in cases of auto bookings through apps.
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This may appear to be a bargaining technique however these multi-million companies such as Ola and Uber are responsible for engulfing a significant portion of revenue from the drivers. To understand this further, auto rickshaws are majorly demanded for covering short distances(mostly in the vicinity of metro stations) however, with the oncoming of electric rickshaws, the auto drivers not only have to compete with their per ride prices but also with e-rickshaws’ “eco-friendly” brand value. This significantly reduces the demand for autos especially in student areas such as Vijay Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Kamala Nagar etc. Having an association with Ola and Uber may grant them a greater amount of rides but the company's toxic revenue model barely allows them to earn as much as they did independently. The livelihood of such diesel based rickshaw drivers must not get undermined for the “big picture” policy and must incorporate transitioning methodologies and incentives where their employment is not threatened. This incentivization may look like distribution of electric rickshaws or monetary protection laws to inhibit the exploitation of such workers associated with profit churning start ups such as Ola and Uber. While auto-rickshaws are an integral part of our daily lives, we often overlook its significance since we have the privilege to sit on the passenger seat and enjoy the view that falls in our perspective however, one must shift this perspective for it limits our understanding of the reality and the multiple inequalities that we as a society need to bridge.
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Kesa Zahera
Zakir Hussain College,
Delhi University
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