comes, ironically, from Gandhi's Dandi March (also called Salt March) 75 years ago, which protested the salt laws of the British rule in India. Gandhi, who also said that you have the duty to disobey unjust laws, was the chief proponent of an alcohol-free India. One of our objectives is to make a case that the context under which Gandhi instituted prohibition is not valid today. Today, alcohol prohibition in Gujarat is an outdated, corruption and crime breeding, short sighted law which must be systematically removed. Keeping up with Bapu's spirit, the Maltmarch community plans to march to the Sachivalay and have a drink in defiance of the prohibition law (date undecided). 
Donors will get a summary of where & how their funds were used. Don't worry, we don't use donation money to buy booze.maltmarch's blog
Former Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, a teetotaler, says Says Gandhi wouldn't have favoured prohibition
At a function held by Federation of Gujarat Industries (FGI) in Vadodara last year, former Union Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie came down heavily on Gujarat's prohibition policy. Shourie advised the Gujarat government to scrap the policy and said that it was hypocritical and corrupting. A teetotaler himself, Shourie was of the opinion that the policy could be scrapped without harming Gandhian principles. "We need to liberate our notions on many things. Prohibition is one of them. We have only held that portion of Gandhi that has helped the smugglers (bootleggers). If the prohibition policy is scrapped in state, the government could raise Rs 1,500 crore which could be used for the welfare of weaker sections of the society".
CNN-IBN coverage on MaltMarch.org
Countries which tried prohibition but failed, countries that still have prohibition, and countries with double-standards
India wasn't the only country to have been inspired by the short-lived prohibition in the US (1920-22), many countries around that time were experimenting with this "noble" but "unfounded" ideology.
Here are the countries that imposed total prohibition of alcohol consumption & production, only to repeal it later:
- 1920 to 1933 in the United States
- 1914 to 1925 in Russia and the Soviet Union
- 1915 to 1922 in Iceland (beer was still prohibited until 1989 because the bill removing prohibition in 1922 mistakenly did not mention it)
- 1916 to 1927 in Norway (wine and beer also included in 1917)
- 1919 to 1932 in Finland (called kieltolaki)
- 1901 to 1948 in Prince Edward Island, and for shorter periods in other locations in Canada
- 1914 to 1955 Sweden utilized a rationing system (not prohibition)
Countries that still have Total Prohibition:
Thought prohibition reduces cases of drunk driving? Study concludes people drive a great distance to drink & drive back drunk
TV Report from 1933 in the USA - Industry Booms after Repeal of Prohibition
Video on Prohibition Propaganda
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Prohibition Propaganda - Advertisement. Prohibition and Excise, Government of Gujarat
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Prohibition is not only our requirement, it is also our responsibility. Intimate us about illegal activities in state of Gujarat.
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Good luck!
CM relaxes prohibtion laws in SEZ's for "outsiders"
My first reaction to hearing our Government's new policy (relaxation of€¦) was positive. I was told that our CM announced "relaxation of prohibition policy" in special economic zones (SEZ's). I felt admiration for the Govt. for taking this progressive step, until I was told in simple words that "only outsiders and permit holders living in SEZ's will be able to drink, not the residents like you and I". Immediately, the picture that appeared in my head was of the British Clubs in India that carried the sign "Dogs and Indians not allowed" (one of these clubs even survived almost a decade after we got independence). While I do give some credit to our Government for taking this step in speeding the inevitable removal of prohibition, I feel this is narrow-sighted and undemocratic decision, which isn't even going to "lure" any investors into the state.
Gujarat: a state of denial
Is there is corelation between crime rate and prohibition?
Most of the pro-prohibition people I meet say prohibition is good because it keeps Gujarat crime free (ironically, many people have told me this while carrying a drink in their hand). That argument couldn't be more false. Here's a statistical analysis on states with highest crime rates- from this story. Its interesting to note that the beer & whisky guzzling, fun loving Punjabis have the lowest crime rate (per capita) in the country - in spite of Punjab's terrorism-tainted past. The figures below are from 2000, pre-Godhra incident and population figures are from the sensex. As the statistics below prove, prohibition does not lower crime. Cheers to that! (scroll down to view the statistics or download file)
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