THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Excise Minister MV Govindan clarified the state government's policy on opening bars in the state. "The decision on whether or not to open beverage outlets is not based on the government's position. This is because of the lockdown. The government wants to open the outlets," the minister said during an interview given to Kaumudy TV.

"The loss incurred in a single month is more than a thousand crores of rupees. We all want the outlets to be opened. Both the government and the department want the same. It does not depend on us. It depends on the pandemic situation. In this case, if alcohol is handled in any other way, we will face a great deal of criticism from the public. However, on the other hand, there are cases where people die after consuming sanitizer," the minister said.

"It is up to the individuals to decide whether they should drink alcohol or not. At the same time, there is no provision for an adequate supply of alcohol to households," he added. When quizzed about the possibility of using the BevQ app again, he said that it was found that the app was not effective last time.