Karnataka plans to reduce legal age for alcohol purchase to 18 years

Karnataka plans to reduce legal age for alcohol purchase to 18 years

mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, Jan 16, 2023: The Karnataka government has proposed to lower the minimum permissible age for alcohol purchase and consumption in the state from 21 to 18 years.

 

In this regard, it published a draft notification titled ‘Karnataka Excise (General Conditions of Licenses) (Amendment) Rules-2023’ last week and sought suggestions and objections from the public within 30 days.

Justifying the proposal to lower the age, an official said: “The proposal was made to put an end to the ambiguity over the legally permissible age to purchase and consume alcohol.”An official from the excise department said the liquor industry has for long demanded a reduction in the legal age for drinking.

“When one can vote at the age of 18, why can’t they purchase and consume alcohol?” an officer said.

States like Sikkim, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh have already reduced the age limit to 18 years. Whereas Kerala raised the minimum age of drinking from 21 to 23 years.

Karnataka earned a record Rs 2,63,777 crore from liquor revenue in 2021-22.

All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) condemned the state government’s move.

AIDSO state secretary Ajay Kamath said, “Our youth and students are already succumbing to liquor and destroying their lives. It is the conspiracy of the government to indulge people in such addictions so that they won’t unite to fight against their real problems. It is an evil design to destroy the cultural-ethical backbone of the masses. By lowering the age limit from 21 to 18 years, a larger section of students will now be able to purchase liquor with the government’s official approval and fall victim to this evil habit. It is regrettable that the BJP, which always talks about culture, has brought such an anti-student, anti-life policy…”