Proposal to reduce minimum limit to buy and consume alcohol to 18

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Falling to the pressure of requests from the liquor industry, the state has proposed the minimum age limit to consume and purchase alcohol to be reduced from 21 to 18.

The move has received a mixed response from stakeholders. On Monday, a draft notification, titled 'Karnataka Excise (General Conditions of Licenses) (Amendment) Rules-2023' was published and the government has sought suggestions/objections from the public within 30 days.

Requests by the liquor industry have been long-standing as it will increase their consumer base in turn raising their revenue. "I would allow my child to go out, even late in the night, knowing that pubs in the city have a mandate to serve alcohol only to those who are above 21.

However, if this changes, it will become worrying and my supervision over them will certainly increase," said Kalpana, a mother of a teenager. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in neighbourhoods housing pre-university colleges have complained of students loitering around the college. They are of the belief that the situation will be aggravated with the reduction in the minimum limit.

"Why? Please, also stand outside Vijayanagara Government School each night and see the results of the current situation already with alcohol," tweeted Whitefield Rising, an RWA. Residents are alleging that the government is planning to make a few extra bucks at the cost of teenagers’ welfare. The excise department has said that the move will also end the ambiguity over the accurate legal age to purchase and consume alcohol.

By the provisions of Karnataka Excise Act-1965, the minimum age for purchase and consumption is 18 years. However, as per Karnataka Excise Licenses (General Conditions) Rules 1967, the minimum legal age is 21. The department has said that the move will resolve the confusion and make the age consistent with that of voting requirements.

One of the committees set up by the government to spot and remove redundancies in excise laws had also suggested the same. On the other hand, the minimum age required to start a liquor business remains 21. The revenue earned by the state from sale of liquor touched Rs 26,377 cr in 2021-22 from Rs 21,583 cr in 2019-2020.

Please use as blurb States like Goa, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh have already reduced their minimum age limit to 18 years. Only a few months ago, the AAP government in Delhi changed the minimum limit from 25 to 21 on par with states like Uttar Pradesh. However, Kerala has raised the limit from 21 to 23.