MUMBAI // Authorities in Kerala have announced a ban on alcohol to tackle a growing abuse problem in the southern Indian state, a popular tourist destination.
The state government warned that alcohol abuse was becoming a danger to society as it unveiled a plan to ban its sale and consumption within 10 years.
It said no new licences to sell alcohol would be granted, while many of the state’s 720 bars and restaurants would not have their licences renewed.
From next year only five-star hotels will be granted licences.
“It is certain that [alcohol] still continues as a social danger. This is having an adverse effect,” said Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy late Thursday.
“Kerala should get ready to imbibe the essence of [a] total liquor ban in the state.”
Kerala has India’s highest annual per-capita alcohol consumption at 8.3 litres.
It is also one of the country’s biggest tourist draws thanks to its palm-fringed white sandy beaches and tranquil rivers lined with paddy fields.
Tourism officials said they had not been consulted and warned that exempting five-star hotels would not be enough to save the industry, with many tourists staying in small guesthouses.
"By this, we are denying the facility of having beer and wine to tourists in hotels with four-star and below category," a Confederation of Tourism Industry Kerala official told The Hindu daily.
“This will affect domestic and international tourist arrivals and send a wrong message about the destination.”
* Agence France-Presse
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
