Aabid Nisar Shah
Almost anything can be preserved in alcohol, except health, happiness, and money. – Mary Wilson Little
Public policy is an endeavor to address a public issue. There are uncountable public issues in Jammu and Kashmir that need to be addressed. People of Jammu and Kashmir are encircled by these issues for quite a long time. Article 370 was annulled with the sole point of view to procure development in the state. But at ground level policies of the government are failing to win the hearts of common people. In name of development, the government is planning to open 187 liquor shops in Jammu and Kashmir. If the liquor industry can bring development why four states and one union territory in India enforced alcohol prohibitions act? The government is encouraging an alcoholic culture in Jammu and Kashmir is it to put people in sleep? And then deprive them of promises made to them. The avaricious nature of administration will be disastrous for our society. It is a fact that the alcohol industry can generate some revenue but at what cost? At the cost of our world. Liquor utilization can have unfavorable social and monetary impacts on the individual consumer, the consumer’s immediate environment, and society all in all. For sure, people other than the consumer can be influenced, for instance, by car crashes or brutality. It has an impact on society as a whole in terms of resources required for criminal justice, health care, and other social institutions. It can impair a person to perform his duty as a parent, as a partner, as a child, as a citizen, as a human, etc. Alcohol can affect all areas of a person’s life, as well as the lives of their family and friends. Personal relationships can be exposed to contentions over drinking which can prompt continuous clash and separations. A study conducted by WHO in India shows that a large fraction of reported domestic violence incidents are related to alcohol use by the male partner i.e., 33% of abusing husbands were using alcohol. I am unable to find a genuine advantage of opening these wine shops in our state. What if these 183 liquor shops to be replaced by 183 reading rooms/libraries? The knowledge will disseminate in our society. Our streets will be full of educated people. The resources and services they will offer will create opportunities for learning; they will support literacy and education and will help to shape the new thoughts and perspectives that are integral to an inventive and innovative society. Since knowledge and information are so indispensable for all round human development, libraries and other institutions that handle and manage knowledge and information are indeed invaluable. Libraries are synonymous with education and offer innumerable learning openings that can fuel financial, social, and cultural developments.
The unavailability of books, newspapers, magazines, journals, and research papers are holding our youth to face competition. Students rely on increasing amounts of physical study material as an internet ban is a norm here. The government should make library access available to everyone.
The inspiring story of Mr. ABC from XYZ underlines the difference a library can make. Having borrowed a book about human rights from his local library, Mr. ABC learned how to fight for his rights and those of his villagers. That one book not just completely changed him; it additionally changed the lives of those in his village community. Perhaps the most deep-rooted of our human instincts is the longing to save our culture for future generations. This is one of the most significant elements of libraries.
The study conducted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi & National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre titled “MAGNITUDE OF SUBSTANCE USE IN INDIA” 2019 revealed that 14.6% of Indians in the age group of 10-75 are consumers of alcohol. The same study reveals that 7.4% of people indulge in drinking in Jammu and Kashmir of which 3.5% are male. It appears 7.4% of people are important for the government in times of crisis. When our unemployment rate is touching skies, education quality is crumbling, the health sector is degrading, the tourism sector is collapsing, our economy is sinking yet the priority of administration is to open wines shops. What can save our society education or liquor? What will be beneficial for our society a room full of wine or a room full of books? Which will add value to our society? A room brimming of drunkards or a room loaded with knowledgeable persons. Who can be more productive for society? A person with a decanter or a person holding a book. People of this state need productive policies that will enlighten the future of the state. The unavailability of books, newspapers, magazines, journals, and research papers are holding our youth to face competition. Students rely on increasing amounts of physical study material as an internet ban is a norm here. The government should make library access available to everyone. The human resource develops in the room of books and it pulverizes in the room of bottles. According to Jorge Luis Borges “, I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a Library.”. Let us hope our administration will build 183 paradises within this paradise. We need libraries to survive in this competitive world, not liquor.
“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life” -Sidney Sheldon
(The author is a student of CUK Ganderbal .Views are his own, [email protected])
