Kerala has been witnessing a steady decline in alcohol sales during the last decade, Minister for Excise and Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh informed the Assembly on Tuesday.
Replying to queries raised at the Question Hour, Mr. Rajesh said the sales of Indian-made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) fell from 241.78 lakh cases in 2011-12 to 228.6 lakh cases in 2024-25.
Official statistics indicate that IMFL sales stood at 224.34 lakh cases in 2022-23 and 221.70 lakh cases in 2023-24. Total alcohol sales, when combining IMFL and beer, have also decreased over the years. In 2015-16, the highest-ever sales were recorded at 355.95 lakh cases. By 2024-25, this figure has dropped to 330.27 lakh cases, marking a reduction of 25.73 lakh cases.
According to Mr. Rajesh, the continuous decrease over the last three years indicates a positive impact on the government’s efforts to bring down alcohol consumption. He attributed the trend to the success of the Vimukti Mission that has played a crucial role in curbing alcohol consumption and drug abuse.
The Minister also pointed out that Kerala presently has 309 Bevco outlets, while neighbouring Tamil Nadu has nearly 3,000 liquor outlets, and Karnataka has close to 5,000 stores.
Mr. Rajesh added that Operation Clean Slate launched by the Excise Department to rein in drug proliferation has achieved immense success. In the first phase, 6,344 raids were conducted, resulting in the arrest of 962 people and the registration of 527 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The number of raids in its second phase went up to 10,893. The operation uncovered 1,459 Abkari cases and 996 NDPS cases. Moreover, 398 joint raids were carried out in collaboration with the Kerala Police.
Published – September 30, 2025 07:32 pm IST
