Whenever we visit my wife’s elder sister at Kozhikode , Kerala , the beautiful sight of the Arabian Sea with the Kallai river merging with the sea greets us from their 12th floor balcony . We watch this splendid sight at various hours of the day and at night . One spot in the intervening ground from the balcony to the river and the sea which affects the serenity of the canvas is the liquor shop on the far side of the main road run by the Kerala Government’s State Beverages Corporation .
The long queue in front of this small outlet from about 5 PM till 8 PM or so and the noise level attending to the brisk sale of liquor is eloquent testimony to the profitable business model of the State Government in making profit out of liquor sales [ The Liquid Gold Mine ] and at the same time meeting a perceived social obligation in arresting the spread of spurious liquor with attendent deaths in the state which was a serious problem in the past when private vendors used to sell [and brew illicit liquor ] in the state .
I saw a news item today stating that the state sold in the month of December 2010 , liquor [ Indian Made Foreign liquor – IMFL ] to the tune of Rs 597 Crores [approx 200 million US Dollars] . This is 20 percent more than the sales in December 2009 . So the alcohol friendly government found a growth business in Kerala – Liquor which is an essential staple diet with most of the working level followers for the political parties , and an essential item in many scenes of crime .
Do we applaud the state in its business savvy outlook or pity them for their misplaced priorities for the sake of revenue and abetting a social malady in the state ?