In a landmark meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan today, a six-member delegation of veteran Gandhian and anti-liquor activists, led by Padma Charan Nayak, Chairman of the Milita Odisha Nisa Nibaran Abhiyan (MONNA), presented a compelling case to President Droupadi Murmu for a comprehensive nationwide prohibition on alcohol and narcotics.
The delegation, comprising representatives from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Delhi, vividly illustrated the devastating toll of alcohol and substance abuse on individuals, families, and society at large.
They highlighted how rampant liquor consumption is fueling a surge in domestic violence, crime, poverty, health deterioration, and moral decay across India. “Without national coordination, state-level prohibition policies are doomed to fail,” the group emphasised, pointing to cross-border smuggling from neighbouring states that undermines local efforts.
Invoking Article 47 of the Indian Constitution—a Directive Principle of State Policy that mandates states to prohibit intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health—the activists urged the President, as the custodian of the Constitution, to intervene decisively. They called on her to advise state governments to shift from mere regulation to a total ban on alcohol proliferation.
President Murmu listened attentively, expressing profound concern over the ethical erosion and socio-economic-cultural disruptions caused by widespread alcohol proliferation. Drawing from her own observations of alcohol-induced societal decay, she concurred that elevating this issue to the national stage is imperative. In a reassuring commitment, the President assured the delegation that she would write to both the Central and Odisha governments, urging them to seriously deliberate and take immediate steps in the greater interest of the public.
The members of the delegation included Padma Charan Nayak, Chairman, MONNA; Sultan Singh, Uttar Pradesh; Kalyani Palui, West Bengal; Ravinder Singh, Delhi; Geetanjali Swain, Odisha & Kahnu Charan Behera, Executive Chairman, MONNA, Odisha.
The delegation hailed the meeting as a “historic milestone” in movement, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the President’s empathetic, sensitive, and morally grounded leadership. “Her resolve strengthens our conviction that a sober, prosperous India is within reach,” said Nayak.
