PATNA: A state-level study that aims to reach out to people in all villages of Bihar to survey the socio-economic impact of prohibition is underway, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, days after chief minister Nitish Kumar said he has sought another study to gauge the public mood on his 2016 decision to impose prohibition.
Kumar’s announcement of the plan to conduct the study – officials said it will be the state’s third – comes against the backdrop of opposition parties attacking the ruling alliance and Nitish Kumar after the recent hooch tragedy in Saran district.
Officials said the study, which started earlier this month, was designed to assess the socio-economic impact of Kumar’s 2016 decision. The formal agreement to conduct the study was signed last month between Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (Jeevika), an autonomous body under the rural development department, and the Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Office of the Chair Professor, Panchayati Raj.
SP Singh, Dean, Social Sciences at CNLU and Chair professor, Panchayati Raj, said the study will cover all blocks and villages and involve interaction with men and women to capture their viewpoints on the impact of prohibition.
“The involvement of Jeevika volunteers will ensure smooth interaction with the villagers, especially women. The study will capture the views of at least 20 persons from every village. We also conducted the first survey, but the current one is more comprehensive,” he added.
The first study, conducted jointly by CNLU and AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies, both state-run institutions, reported that 80% of people were in favour of prohibition and backed its continuation and just 13.8% were against it. The findings were released by the state government earlier this year.
It reported strong support for prohibition among women cutting across caste and class barriers due to its positive implications, such as an increase in family income due to savings from expenditure on liquor which led to an increase in expenditure on education, nutrition and health.
Nitish Kumar imposed prohibition in the state in April 2016, citing the promise he made to a group of women from Jeevika ahead of the 2015 Assembly polls. He has since then been steadfast in his resolve to not rescind the decision despite growing opposition from political leaders after every hooch tragedy.
The study, however, revealed a livelihood crisis for people associated with the liquor business, as many of them continue to struggle to find alternative jobs despite state assistance.
It also pointed to problems in the implementation of prohibition, with the poor bearing the maximum brunt of the policy and the bigger players in the liquor trade such as smugglers managing to escape punishment. The government later brought about changes in the prohibition law to shift its focus from petty offenders such as drinkers to suppliers and smugglers.
A pilot study carried out in 2017, barely a year after prohibition, by a team of three doctors had come out with their finding that around 64% of habitual drinkers stopped consumption of liquor after the ban while 25% shifted to other substance such as toddy and marijuana. It said about 30% of known alcoholics were still able to source liquor.