Bihar to initiate moves to ban liquor

Patna, Nov 23: The Bihar government will soon take steps to impose a ban on liquor in the state, Excise and Prohibition Minister Abdul Jalil Mastan said on Monday.

The minister made the comments soon after taking office.

"We will start work to impose a ban on liquor in Bihar. It would be visible in the next six months," he told the media here.

In July, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had declared that prohibition would be imposed if he retained power in the assembly elections.

Mastan said the demand for prohibition in Bihar had been made by many. Women, mostly from Dalit and backward castes, had been at the forefront of protests against rising liquor consumption and demanded a ban on it.

IANS