JD(U) Rejects NCAER Findings As 'Data Manipulation', Defends Bihar Liquor Ban | VIDEO
· Free Press Journal
Patna: The ruling JD (U) on Wednesday dismissed findings of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on Bihar’s prohibition policy as “data manipulation”, asserting that the social gains from the liquor ban far outweighed the revenue the state could have earned from alcohol sales.
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Defending the prohibition imposed by the former Mahagathbandhan government led by Nitish Kumar on April 5, 2016, JD (U) chief spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar said the policy had achieved its core objective and represented the “resolve of the people of Bihar”. He contended that any attempt to repeal the ban would face opposition.
Delhi: JD(U) MP Devesh Chandra Thakur says, "NCAER is a big and old institution, the National Council of Applied Economic Research. We do not know by what parameters or on what scale they conducted this assessment. But as a citizen, and as a citizen of Bihar, and more importantly… pic.twitter.com/tDBqZjTlmx
— IANS (@ians_india) August 12, 2026
JD (U) leader claimed that domestic violence had declined significantly following the prohibition, alleging that the positive social impact had not been adequately reflected in the NCAER findings. On concerns over revenue losses, he pointed to the state’s expanding budget, which has now reached Rs 3,16,895 crore. The excise department had earlier contributed only slightly more than three per cent of Bihar’s revenue, he added.
“Government considers the social transformation following prohibition far more important than the relatively small revenue generated from liquor,” he noted.
Ram Temple CEO Post: Candidates Asked About Jeneu, Shikha And Alcohol ConsumptionJD (U) leader maintained that the social changes attributed to prohibition must be assessed alongside the revenue implications, arguing that the policy's benefits had outweighed the loss of excise revenue.
On the other hand, JD (U) MP Devesh Chandra Thakur said no country in the world had succeeded in enforcing a 100 percent ban on liquor. He said complete prohibition could not be fully successful in Bihar either.
However, he maintained that the prohibition policy had been largely successful, with its impact estimated at around 70-75 per cent in the state. He said the issue of reviewing the prohibition policy had been raised from time to time and that he too believed it should be reviewed.
Thakur said that prohibition should continue with certain restrictions, but this should not be interpreted as allowing complete freedom to sell or consume liquor.
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Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi`s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) has also been insisting review of the prohibition law since long.
HAM spokesperson Shyam Sundar Sharan said the government should examine the issue carefully, adding that the prohibition policy had been reviewed in the past and several changes were made.