Gandaki. Gandaki State Assembly has passed a bill to regulate and manage the production of domestic liquor in the state.

Minister for Industry and Tourism MitraLal Basyal said the state assembly meeting held today unanimously passed the bill. “The bill was passed after clause-by-clause discussions in the thematic committee and state assembly,” he said, adding that legal arrangements have been made for branding and marketing of country liquor. ”

The state government had presented the bill related to domestic liquor in the State Assembly on March 14. Earlier, the state government had announced to legalize domestic liquor through its annual policy and programme. Minister Basyal said that the Act has also been brought to regulate and manage the domestic liquor being produced and sold secretly. According to him, extensive discussions were held with the concerned parties, including experts, during the formulation of the Act.

It has been done to open the commercial production of domestic liquor by determining the standard and quality. Minister Basyal said that only commercial production is being brought under the purview of the law as declaring the liquor, which has traditionally been made at home, legalized, can lead to quality assurance problems. He said that the state would get huge economic benefits if quality domestic liquor could be produced and marketed through scientific methods.

Some time ago, gandaki university had successfully determined the quality of the rice used in the making of domestic liquor. Chemical analysis was carried out from all the 11 districts of the province after collecting the urine along with the study of the method of making alcohol. The state government had initiated the process of making domestic liquor a law after the investigation found that domestic liquor could be made safe by maintaining the standards and quality of the liquor.

According to the Act, a license has to be obtained from the state government for the production of domestic liquor. Individuals, farms or companies will be allowed to produce, collect, process, packaging, label and sell domestic liquor without registering an industry. Minister Basyal said that there is no provision in the Act to produce up to 50 liters annually for religion, tradition, domestic purpose and private use. According to the Act, the local level’s consent, location, rent required, equipment, food grains and fruits should be mentioned in the area of supply of raw materials to register the industry.

Agricultural cooperatives within Gandaki state can also register domestic liquor. The bill clearly states that no other adulteration can be done in alcohol. Arrangements have been made to make liquor from grains and fruits like millet, fapar, lice, barley, wheat, corn, apple, orange, khurpani, mauwa, amba, litchi, aiselu, chutro, dimber.

State Assembly member Dipendra Bahadur Thapa said that the state government has respected the culture and tradition by bringing domestic liquor used in social culture among the tribal community under the ambit of law.