Liquor to ooze from chikoo, jambhul

Mumbai: After kicking off a controversy over giving permission to produce liquor from food grains, the state government has now announced that it plans to permit production of liquor from fruits such as cashewnut, jambhul (blueberry) and chikoo (sapodilla).

“We have received a proposal seeking permission to make liquor from cashewnut, jambhul and chikoo. The government is thinking over it,” excise minister Ganesh Naik announced in the legislative council on Monday.

Naik was replying to a question by NCP’s Arun Gujrathi on the permission to produce liquor from foodgrains. The minister said no new permits had been given to make liquor from food grains since August 20, 2009.

The government policy to make liquor from food grains attracted criticism from the opposition and social activists like Anna Hazare and Dr Abhay Bang. The opposition argued that as there was shortage of food grains in the state it was not logical to produce liquor from them. Dr Bang appealed to the government not to convert Maharashtra into “Madya Rashtra” (liquor state).