10.5% males, 0.2% females drink liquor
WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: In Jammu and Kashmir, over 10.5 percent of the male population and 0.1% population of females drink alcohol.
This information was revealed by the Minister of Health & Family Welfare in Rajya Sabha.
The Minister informed that the latest data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reveals that alcohol consumption in Jammu and Kashmir has remained relatively stable over the years. According to NFHS-4 (2015-16), only 0.1% of women and 10.5% of men in the 15-49 age group reported consuming alcohol.
In the subsequent NFHS-5 (2019-21) survey, the percentage of women slightly increased to 0.2%, while the percentage for men remained unchanged at 10.5%. Compared to many other states, J&K has one of the lowest alcohol consumption rates in India.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is conducting an integrated survey namely National Family Health Survey (NFHS) with a periodicity of around three years. The survey provides data on health and family welfare and associated domains.
NFHS-4, conducted in 2015-16, and NFHS-5, conducted in 2019-21, inter-alia, provide, information on the percentage of women and men age 15-49, who drink alcohol, by State/Union Territory, India. As per the NFHS-4, conducted in 2015-16, the percentage of women and men age 15-49 in India who consume alcohol was 1.2% and 29.2%, respectively. This percentage decreased to 0.7% for women and 22.4% for men, as per the NFHS-5, conducted in 2019-21.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Department for drug demand reduction in the country. To address the issue of substance use, the Department Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), a centrally sponsored scheme under which financial assistance is provided.
