SCHEDULED CASTES’................MANIFESTO— 399
40. The excise revenue in Madras was Rs. 16.80 crores in 1945-46. It declined to .50 crores in 1950-51. For 1951-52 the budget estimate is .36 crores. The loss in excise revenue in consequence of prohibition thus works out at Rs. 16 crores.
41. In the U. P. excise revenue in 1947-48 was Rs. 7.06 crores. For 1950-51, it was Rs. 5.93 crores and the budget estimate for 1951-52 is Rs. 5.84 crores. The loss thus works out at Rs. 1.2 crores.
42. The excise revenue in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Bengal also shows some fall.
43. The loss in excise revenue for Bombay and Madras alone works out at almost Rs. 25 crores which is also the approximate decline in the excise revenue in part ‘A’ States taken together.
44. These figures are incomplete. They do not contain any data for part ‘B’ States. For they are not available. They also do not contain any data if the expenditure on enforcement in consequence of the adoption of the policy of prohibition.
45. From the point of equity, there is no justification for prohibition. The cost of prohibition is borne by the general public. Why should the general public be made to pay the cost of reforming a lakh or two of habitual drunkards who could never be reformed ? Why should the general public be made to pay the cost of prohibition when the other wants of the public such as eduction, housing and health are crying for remedy? Why not use the money for development plans? Who has greater priority, the Drunkard or the Hungry ? There are pertinent questions to which there is no answer except arrogance and obstinacy. Whatever happens, the policy of prohibition must be reversed and this colossal waste of public money should be put a stop to and the resources utilised for advancing general welfare.