The Chief Minister Mr.Nitish Kumar is now one of the many Chief Ministers who tried to enforce the prohibition but failed. But efforts are going to have some formula to make it a success. One of the directive principle of the Constitution is that States would strive for prohibition. Presently three states are having the prohibition Nagaland, Mizoram and Gujarat and Bihar is fourth one.
The Chief Ministers who tried to enforce prohibition but retreated as failed were Mr.NT Rama Rao in Andhra Pradesh, Mr.Anna Durai in Tamil Nadu and Bansilal in Haryana. After Independence there were prohibition in Bombay Presidency comprising the region of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka, Central Provinces and Barar later known as Madhya Pradesh.
They failed because with the enforcement of prohibition the illicit liquor trade and consumption enhanced many fold and caused huge loss of Excise revenue in states. Mr.Nitish Kumar said that he made promise to the women voter of the Bihar that he would enforce prohibition and fulfilled that commitment.
He asserted that it was not a revenue oriented decision. Financially with prohibition state will a shortfall of Rs.4000 crores per year by way Excise duties. But it is a welfare decision as people will have more money for health, education and their economic prosperity.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr.NT Rama Rao made almost same promise to women during the Assembly election and in getting elected he implemented prohibition. He had a very sad experiment to this matter. The villages particularly the women who had demanded were themselves carrying out illicit distillation and trading it. The frustrated Mr.NT Rama Rao had decided to scrap it.
The same thing happened in Haryana where the Chief Minister Mr.Bansilal enforced it and compelled to scrap it in the face of spurt in illicit liquor went up in sale and consumption. Even in Gujarat when Mr.Shankar Singh Baghela became Chief Minister he openly admitted that there was prohibition in Gujarat because of it is being the state of Gandhiji but in practice illicit liquor was available everywhere.
In all the states the Excise revenue is major contributing factor in the budget revenue receipts. In prohibition it is lost and on the other hand the illicit distillation goes up leaps and bounds. The liquor is paradox of India.