Liquor consumption at shops to be banned in Madhya Pradesh from April 1

Home minister Narottam Mishra said the state government has been working to discourage the sale of liquor and that no alcohol shop has been opened since 2010

Published on: Feb 20, 2023, 10:05:11 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Sitting arrangements at liquor shops will not be allowed in Madhya Pradesh from April 1 as part of efforts to discourage alcohol consumption under the state’s new excise policy.

Home minister Narottam Mishra. (Twitter)

Home minister Narottam Mishra said the state Cabinet approved the policy on Sunday. He added no liquor shop has been opened since 2010 in Madhya Pradesh.

“Now, no sitting arrangements will be allowed at the liquor shops for the consumption of liquor. Similarly, no liquor shops will be allowed to be opened within 100 metres of schools, religious places, and hostels.”

Liquor shops were not earlier allowed to be opened within 50 metres of educational institutions and religious places.

Mishra said the provision of cancelling driving licenses in cases of drunk driving will also be made more stringent. He added that only liquor will be sold at the shops and places of drinking will not be allowed.

Mishra said chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been working to discourage the sale of liquor. “During [the] Narmada Sewa Yatra [of the state government to conserve the Narmada river in 2016 and 2017], many liquor shops were closed.”

The new excise policy was finalised amid former chief minister and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti’s protests against it. Bharti has been demanding a ban on liquor in the poll-bound state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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