Catholic Bishops of Kerala to authorities: ‘You are drowning people in alcohol’

In a letter circulated in the churches, the complaint about the continuous opening of bars and pubs to make money from the proceeds guaranteed to the State with the licences. The Catholicos of the Orthodox Church also speaks of an ‘explosive situation’. About 10% of the population claims to be a consumer of alcohol.

Kochi (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Bishops' Council of Kerala (KCBC) has criticised the Kerala government's alcohol policy, calling it an attempt to “drown Kerala in liquor”. The committee that deals with addiction issues within the local Church, issued a circular that was read out in churches on Sunday, the Day against alcohol and drugs, and harshly criticised the local authorities.

The complaint is that many administrations, after securing a mandate to govern, resort to increasing revenue through measures such as the production and distribution of alcohol, with the number of bars and pubs in Kerala constantly increasing. ‘Bars and pubs are also opening in technology parks. Permission has been granted for a distillery in Elappully. Migrant workers coming to Kerala from other states should also be thoroughly checked,’ the circular reads.

Earlier this month, the Catholicos of the Orthodox Church also sounded the alarm about the growing problem of alcohol and drugs in Kerala, urging the government to intervene. Baselios Marthoma Mathews III said that Kerala was in an ‘explosive situation’. ‘Despite the easy access to alcohol, the authorities are working to increase its flow even more and this is not the right approach. The government must urgently implement action plans to tackle the problem,’ he added, also calling for the censorship of films that glorify drugs and alcohol. ’It is the Church's responsibility to respond to the evils of society. The news of children and mothers being killed is terrifying. The cause of all this is alcohol and drugs,‘ he added. “The younger generation is living a ”movie life’ rather than a real life.’

Since 1998 the Catholic Bishops' Council of Kerala has set up a commission with the slogan “Church and society free from alcohol”. Over the years, the state treasury has been kept alive by taxes collected through the sale of beer and spirits. In the last fiscal year, this generated an incredible 166.096 billion rupees (approx. 1.78 billion euros ed.), an increase compared to the 161.895 billion rupees of 2022-23.

The profile of alcohol consumers in Kerala reveals that about 3.29 million people out of 33.4 million inhabitants of the state consume alcohol, of which 2.98 million are men and 3.1 million are women. About 500,000 people consume alcohol on a daily basis. Of these, 83,851 people, including 1,043 women, are alcohol dependent.