Bihar mulls supply of country liquor in bottles

PATNA: The Bihar government is mulling a proposal about the supply of country liquor in bottles in place of polythene to check illegal trade from next financial year, official sources said today.

A proposal to this effect would be taken to the Cabinet for approval, Secretary Excise Sandeep Paundrik said after a review meeting of Excise department by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here.

Series of hooch related deaths recently in Bihar had put the government in tight spot. Stung by such incidents in Muzaffarpur, Ara and Gaya in which over 50 people had lost their lives the CM had said that the state government would take measures to stop illegal hooch trade.

During the meeting a presentation was given before the CM on pet bottling policy besides changes needed in excise duty, Paundrik said in a release here.

The CM also conducted review meeting of SC & ST department.

He directed the department to construct toilet and fence in Ambedkar hostels lacking the facility.

The meeting decided to formulate an operating procedure for running of SC & ST residential schools and hostels, Secretary SC & ST department S M Raju said in a release.

SC & ST minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi was present in the meeting.