BJP members of the Legislative Council, on Monday, appealed to the State government to reserve 20% of the revenue from the sale of liquor in the State for the treatment of people suffering from liver cirrhosis.
N. Ravi Kumar, Chief Whip of the BJP, stated that many people addicted to liquor had been suffering from liver cirrhosis. They need liver transplantation and the treatment demands between ₹10 lakh and ₹32 lakh. "In the interest of patients and their families, the government should reserve a part of the revenue for their treatment," he said.
K.S. Naveen and Bharathi Shetty, also from the BJP, and others joined issue. K.B. Shivakumar, newly-nominated member, elaborated on the impact of alcohol addition on the tribal families in rural areas. He stressed the need for measures to stop alcohol consumption. Ramesh Babu of the Congress said that the addiction to the consumption of tobacco caused cancer. The Centre should also reserve a part of the GST collected for the treatment of cancer patients, he said.