Relaxation in drinking limits: Who all can now drink in Gujarat? Take a look at the exemptions
The Gujarat Prohibition Act in the limits of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has been relaxed in Gandhinagar. This means that the relaxation exempts not all but only a few categories of drinkers in Gujarat through a list. What are the other relaxations under the law? Here is all you need to know.
Gujarat has been a dry state since its very establishment. However, anyone who is 21 years of age or older can attain a permit temporarily. Moreover, anyone who is 40 years old or older, and ex-servicemen, can attain a health permit.
It is the state-issued licenses and permits that control the manufacturing, sale, and consumption of liquor in Gujarat. This means that manufacturers and sellers of liquor need to obtain the required licenses from the state, and a customer needs to obtain a permit for liquor in the dry state.
There exists a provision of seven different forms of permits by the state for the customers. Specific conditions have thus been classified under which the consumers are permitted to drink liquor by the state.
The state categorizes over five permit types as health permits or non-health permits. There exist two other permits namely “Group Permits” and “Tatkal Permits”, where tatkal means “urgent”, signifying a permit for “urgent needs”.
It is important to note that all the consumers having the permit can actually purchase foreign liquor only from licensed liquor shops and vendors (77 in number) in the state of Gujarat.
Next in the discussion come the health and the non-health permits. A health permit costs over Rs 4,000. It also needs an annual renewal fee of over Rs 2,000. The cost of a non-health permit ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 500. The validity of a non-health permit can actually range from 7 days to a month.
The health permit stands as one of the oldest types of permits in the state of Gujarat. It is under Sections 64, 64B, and 64C of the Bombay Foreign Liquor Rules. However, it is important to note that Gujarat ceased to issue these permits under Section 64C last year as the Section falls under the purview of defense authorities. The difference between these Sections is that Section 64 is meant for the residents of Gujarat who require liquor for the purpose of maintaining their health, while Section 64B is for the individuals presently residing in the state of Gujarat, who have resided in a non-prohibition state for the last 10 years and need liquor for the purpose o maintaining their health. Section 64C is meant for retired defense personnel who need liquor to maintain their health.
What it needs to obtain the health permit, the individual needs to be 40 or above in age. Moreover, the individual needs to have a monthly income of about s 25,000. Most importantly, since it is a health permit, the individual needs to have a valid medical reason to apply for the same. The validity of the permit usually lasts for over five years or less. This is decided by the AMB (Area Medical Board).
Now the question that strikes the mind right away is what medical reasons can be considered valid for the permit? Well, an official of a government hospital expressed that medical reasons can actually range from “stress” to heart problems.
Any individual who is eager to apply for a health permit as per Section 64 will be required to pay an amount of Rs 2,000 as the processing fee. Additionally, the individual needs to pay another amount of Rs, 2,000 as the medical examination fee.
The state of Gujarat has also fixed a monthly quantity that a health permit holder obtaining the permit under Section 64 of the Rules can avail. This fixed monthly quality permits three units for the ones aged between 40 to 50 years, four units for the people over 50 years of age but are less than 65 years of age, and a total of five units for the individuals who are above 65 years of age.
In the case of a health permit holder who has obtained the permit under 64B of the Rules, the state sets out the permission of a maximum of two units in a month, for a maximum of two years, no matter the age.
