An argument erupted between Bihar’s excise and prohibition minister Sunil Kumar and opposition leader Samrat Chaudhary in the Legislative Council on Monday over hooch deaths in the state.
Chaudhary interrupted the minister during the government’s reply to the debate on annual budget for 2023-24 when the latter claimed that the number of deaths due to consumption of spurious liquor was much less in Bihar that many other states where there is no liquor ban.
Bihar imposed total prohibition in April 2016.
Disputing the figure, Chaudhary alleged that the state government has been hiding hooch related casualties by furnishing fake reasons for deaths. “National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) presents the figures fed by the state governments. You have been in the bureaucracy and you know it well,” he said, while urging the government to make the provision for compensation for the kin of those who die in hooch tragedies.
Kumar, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, while seeking cooperation from all parties owing to their commitment to the prohibition, said his department earned a revenue of ₹6,131.81 crore in the 2022-23 fiscal against the target of ₹5,500 crore. The minister said there was appreciable change in law and order, domestic violence and prosperity among the people after the total ban on liquor was imposed.
Earlier, countering the allegations of the ruling party members, JD(U) member Neeraj Kumar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a religious function in Gandhi Maidan, had commended CM Nitish Kumar for enforcing complete ban on liquor.
₹13,270-cr action plan for uninterrupted power supply: Minister
Replying to the debate on the budgetary demand for the energy department, departmental minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said his department is considering a ₹13,270-crore action plan to be implemented over the next four years to transform and modernise power supply system in the state. Batting for one nation one tariff regime, Yadav said Bihar was being compelled to purchase electricity on higher rates than other states owing to the Centre’s double standards.
The minister said the department has proposed to provide power connections to about 4.80 lakh farmers from agriculture feeder in the next four years. Agriculturists are being given power supply on highly subsidised rates. Currently, over one lakh farmers are being electricity through dedicated agriculture feeder in the state, he said.
