India Needs Comprehensive National Policy to Tackle Alcohol, Declares ASPA

In November, the President of the Authentication Solution Providers Association, Mr Nakul Pasricha, was interviewed by Ambrosia (a magazine for the alcoholic beverages industry) on the impact of illicit trade on India’s alcohol market. Here’s what he had to say:

Q:What is the impact of the spurious liquor industry on the government, people and the legitimate industry?

A: Illicit trade in alcohol undermines sustainable economic growth. Collectively, it affects all the stakeholders in society to various degrees. While the industry and government lose revenue, it is the consumer who is impacted the most as illicit trade in liquor poses a serious threat to consumer health. Poor quality or spurious liquor can cause death and serious illness, as seen in connection with several tragic incidents involving hooch (bootleg alcohol) in India. According to various media reports more than 250 people died in India due to hooch tragedies in 2019 (editor’s note: some of the states where these tragedies occurred had opted to use plain, barcoded tax stamps with no security features, making the task of introducing illicit product into the market much easier).