Bihar CM Nitish Kumar plans to turn liquor vendors into milkmen, save the employment of people

“There is going to be a revenue loss (because of prohibition), but I am ready for that,” Kumar said. “As for the concerns about employment loss, I have already asked COMFED (Bihar State Milk Co-Operative Federation) to consider offering Sudha milk (COMFED’s dairy product brand) and dairy product counters to whoever wants it from among those losing liquor sales counters,” he told  on the sidelines of JD(U)’s national executive meeting in the National  Capital Delhi  on Sunday. He said there are about 6,000 liquor sale counters at strategic locations where it would be viable to have milk sale counters. “It will also help improve cooperative network in the country,” Bihar CM #NitishKumar said.

Though Bihar is expected to lose over Rs 3,000 crore of annual revenue from the prohibition, the CM #NitishKumar  asserted his government was firm on effective prohibition in the state and that it would come into force on April 1, 2016, in about 90 per cent of the geographical area of the state.

About 45 municipal corporations and other municipal areas, comprising about 10 per cent of Bihar, will get a little more time before prohibition is rolled out there as well.

To improve revenue realisation from the liquor sales in these urban areas, CM Nitish Kumar has decided to abandon private liquor contractors altogether and authorised Bihar State Beverages Corporation Ltd to run liquor sale points in corporations and towns where prohibition will not be imposed in the first phase.Nitish  Kumar, who is believed to derive considerable support base among women electorate, plans to rope in self-help groups (SHGs) to turn prohibition into a “social movement” for effective results.

“We are determined for effective prohibition. This will require social efforts to turn it into a social movement. For this purpose, we will rope in about 4.5 lakh self-help groups to ensure effective prohibition. We will take support of other social organisations,” #Bihar #CM NitishKumar  said.

Given that women play a significant role in SHGs, the Bihar chief minister’s Nitish kumar move to rope in women in the prohibition movement may help him grow his support base.