Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance launched

Dr Hariharan, Chief Executive reports:
The newly established Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance (IAPA) was launched in New Delhi in May this year.

The ceremonial lighting of the lamp was performed by Shri Yoganand Shastri, the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Social Welfare of Delhi. In addressing the meeting he said the government would provide all possible help to the alliance in its work and “hoped that the association would go a long way in acting as a watchdog for the government assisting in formulating and implementing alcohol control policies”.

Dr S Arul Rhaj the President of IAPA is a former President of the Indian Medical Association; a Vice President of the Commonwealth Medical Association and honoured by the President of India with the Dr B C Roy National ~Award for Socio- Medical Relief. . In launching the Alliance Dr Arul Rhaj said that the increase in alcohol consumption in India was worrying and was a major contributory factor in road accidents and family violence. He wished to see a strong India through a healthy India free from alcohol abuse

Dr. Vivek Benegal pointed out that India is generally considered to be a dry culture and a rather large proportion of its people do not drink at all. Still alcohol consumption is quite high in some sections of the population. Both prevalence and consumption seems to be on the rise while the age of initiation to alcohol drinking has fallen drastically over the past decades.

Mr. Derek Rutherford of the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance stated that for him it was not a question of what the world could teach India, but what India could teach the world. Alcohol consumption in the west had reached a very high level and it is worrying if countries like India and China would follow on that path. The drink industry saw both countries as emerging and promising markets for expansion. He said: “Growth rate in India is expected to be around 8% per year and that by 2040 India is likely to be the third largest economy after the USA and China. With such an expected growth rate, the international drinks industry clearly sees India as a lucrative market with enormous potential for shareholder profit.”

Dr. Shanthi Ranganathan, chief executive of the well known T T Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation and Rehabilitation Centre in Chennai is the honorary secretary of IAPA. Presenting the road map of IAPA she stated that the focus would be on controlling the availability of alcohol, addressing specific social contexts and changing the social climate and attitudes towards drinking. A successful policy initiative includes involving multiple stake holders: Government and non government, presenting clear, specific ‘do-able’ policy suggestions based on data, developing policies that have fairly immediate and direct effects as well as those with more indirect and long-term effects by changing the general social climate.

IAPAs’ objectives include providing a forum for alcohol policy and to disseminate information on alcohol policies and best practice in policy advocacy. The alliance will encourage and promote governmental and nongovernmental efforts to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm and bring attention to the social, economic and health consequences of alcohol use. It will monitor advertising, marketing and other activities of the alcohol beverage industry including their social aspect organizations; encourage research on all aspects related to alcohol use and policies; conduct awareness programmes and organise de-addiction camps. IAPA will co-operate and encourage partnership with local, national and international organizations and civil society to prevent and alleviate alcohol-related harm.