3. Five years ago, the total of the ages of a father and his own son was 40 years. The ratio
their present age is 4:1. What is the present age of the father? (অর্থাৎ ৫ বছর আগে পিতা ও পুতে
একত্রে ৪০ বছর ছিল। তাদের বর্তমান বয়সের অনুপাত ৪:১ হলে পিতার বর্তমান বয়স কত?)
Answers
Successive governments have treated their products as taboo, adds Manepally, despite the liquor industry being one of the biggest revenue generators. In many states, he points out, the regulatory department is called the “prohibition and excise department". The Constitution’s directive principles state: “...the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health".
“If I am locked in the house all day, I could sure use a glass of beer," argues Manepally. “It’s good for your sanity."
“It’s to do with the optics as well," says Samar Singh Shekhawat, an independent consultant and former chief marketing officer of United Breweries, which manufactures Kingfisher beer. “How can they allow it to be sold when they can’t ensure food and the rest? It can easily become an opposition agenda."
But doing away with alcohol altogether would prove too costly for the economy, adds Shekhawat. “With zero turnover, the industry stares at a loss of ₹30,000-40,000 crore, not to discount loss of jobs in manufacturing units, transportation, distribution and retail...." While exact employment figures are not available, Shobhan Roy, chief of the All India Brewers Association, told The Times Of India earlier this month that the industry employs nearly a million people.
Some states have started feeling the pinch. By the third week of April, West Bengal, Karnataka and Delhi were reportedly considering “partial loosening" of alcohol curbs for immediate revenue generation, some by allowing home delivery. From 13 April, Assam and Meghalaya allowed liquor shops to sell for a few hours every day, although Assam rescinded its decision shortly after the Union government directive. On 20 April, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope too said alcohol shops should be kept open if social distancing norms are followed.
Pratima Murthy, professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans), Bengaluru, says that while she can understand the rationale of the alcohol ban during the lockdown, she believes it could have been done differently. “Before you announce a ban like this, you must inform people in advance. More importantly, enough services should be made available to give the (addicts) treatment," she says. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown with 4-hour notice. “It took everyone by surprise."
Nimhans has seen twice the number of people seeking treatment for addiction in the past few weeks, with nearly 25 people turning up in the emergency ward every day. “Alcohol dependence is a disease," says Dr Murthy. “But unless people know that there is a treatment available, and it is close by, it can have unintended consequences."