Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the sale of liquor has gone down in the state during COVID-19 times, there has been a rise in consumption, said Excise Minister MV Govindan.
As per a submission made by the minister in reply to IUML leader MK Muneer's question in the state assembly on Wednesday, the number of abkari cases has spiked in Kerala recently.
The minister had arrived at the conclusion by pointing to the increase in the quantity of liquor confiscated during the pandemic.
However, there has also been a visible dip in the sales, the minister added.
While 205.41 lakh cases of liquor and 150.13 lakh cases of beer were sold in 2016-17, the corresponding numbers dropped to 187.22 lakh and 72.40 lakh respectively in 2020-21.
The minister noted that the state government has proposed granting permission to the Excise Department to register cases under the Juvenile Justice Act.