Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is likely to gain brownie points among the youth in the state. During a recent television show, the Kerala CM indicated that his government is mulling to open pubs in the state. He also said that the government is considering to give a facelift to the existing Kerala Beverages Corporation (Bevco) outlets.
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Apparently, the plight of employees in the Information Technology sector, who work late night shifts and have little means to unwind, is what prompted the government to rethink about its pub policy. “What are those things called pump? Pubs? The lack of such pubs have become a major criticism that has been raised against us. The Kerala government is seriously looking into this," he said.
The previous UDF government's anti-liquor policy saw as many as 700 hotels losing their license to serve liquor. However, in 2017, the current state government reversed the UDF government’s stringent liquor policy, allowing liquor licenses only to 5 star hotels.
Pubs are increasingly gaining prominence in Indian cities. The anti-liquor policy had hit revenue generation in Kerala, a tourism-dependent state. Before the ban was enforced, the state had India's highest per capita alcohol consumption, at more than eight litres per person per year.