Sales of expensive sarees, cheese and honey saw a hike after the ban on alcohol in Bihar, according to a study, conducted by the Asian Development Research Institute(ADRI).
Moreover, the ban led to a decrease in criminal cases. People are spending more money in buying better quality food and expensive clothes, said the report. The sales of expensive sarees rose by 1,751 percent, while consumption of honey and cheese increased by 380 percent and 200 percent respectively within the first six months of the ban.
The study also highlighted that 19% of the households acquired new assets from the money they used to spend on alcohol. There was also a remarkable increase in the sale of items like butter milk(40%), flavoured milk (28.4%) and lassi (19.7%), the report stated.
Another study conducted by Disaster Mitigation Institute(DMI) stated that about 58% women feel that they are given more respect, after the ban. The crime report of ADRI stated that there was a 66.6% dip in cases of kidnapping, followed by 28.3% dip in murder cases and 2.3% in dacoity.
According to the consumption report of 2011, there were approximately 44 lakh alcoholics in Bihar. These addicts had been spending at least Rs. 1000 on alcohol each month, which means that at least Rs. 440 crore are saved each month after the ban.
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