The COVID-19 pandemic is shaking the entire world and every country is facing a severe economic crisis due to this deadly virus. Most of the countries have undergone lockdown and India has been in complete lockdown for 21 days and there are bright chances in the subcontinent that this lockdown may get extended.
Considering the prevailing situation, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has urged 10 states to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages during the lockdown. It is known that some people have committed suicide as they haven’t withstood with this absence of alcohol.
Hyderabad’s Yerragadda Psychiatric hospital is flooded with patients who are mostly alcohol addicts as their body failed to deal with the situation due to the scarcity of alcohol.
CIABC Director General Vinod Giri stated in the letter that there are growing reports of the sale of illicit and spurious liquor in the state which can potentially lead to serious health hazards for people as well as create adverse law and order situation.
They also asked the government to extend their license validity a month considering the loss that occurred due to the lockdown. With the following requests, the apex body of the Indian alcoholic beverage industry has sent letters on Monday to chief ministers of 10 states – Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.