Whenever someone celebrates their 25th birthday here, due to recent development, we say it’s a big one. NOT because of the onset of the quarter-life crisis but because THAT is the legal drinking age in a lot of states in India. But we often forget that it’s not true for all of them. Well, let us be rid of the confusion once and for all. The consumption of alcohol is prohibited in the states of Bihar, Gujarat and Nagaland and the union territory of Lakshadweep. There is also a partial ban on alcohol consumption in some districts of Manipur. Excluding these, here’s a consolidated list of all Indian states and the alcohol consumption age for each!
18 Years
These states believe that if you can vote and get married, you might as well start consuming alcohol at the same time as well. Lord knows you’re going to need it!
Goa (always to our rescue), Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Tamil Nadu.
21 Years
Basically, these states let you vote and get married before they let you drink. Sigh, but we can live with it. 21 is always right around the corner!
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (for beer and wine), Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
23 Years
Only Kerala decided to break the monotony and keep the age at 23 years. You know, it feels like the whole bargaining scheme that our mothers used, “chal na tera na mera” worked well for them. But oh well, they aim to completely implement the prohibition of hard liquor in the next 10 years, so… we shall wait and see.
25 Years
These states decided that after your second vote attempt, (assuming your first would be at 18), is when you would need the hard stuff.
Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra (for liquor except for beer and wine) and Punjab.
The surprising thing here is Punjab also has a Punjab Excise Act that prohibits the employment of “women in any part of such premises in which such liquor or intoxicating drug is consumed by the public”.
Well, um, okay. Thanks, but no thanks, Punjab.
Welcome to #BrandNewPOPxo – POPxo is now more fun when you sign up!
App users, you’ll be seeing the change soon!
GIFs: Giphy
You Might Like These
40 Kickass Reply When Someone Calls You Fat
Simple Ways On How To Talk With Your Guy
