In an effort to increase restaurants and boost tourism to the city, Delhi government might lower the legal age for drinking, Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said.
“I feel the drinking age set at 25 years is way too much. It should be reduced,” Mishra said while he was addressing a gathering of restaurateurs at the 33rd annual meeting of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).
Mishra had invited the restaurant and other associations to come up with proposals regarding the right drinking age in the capital. “I request you to come up with a good suggestion, we’ll take note of it,” the minister said.
“Many old laws need to be changed. We will do our best to mend them and make Delhi a better place, especially for tourists,” Mishra told the audience.
Mishra has been focussing on encouraging tourism in Delhi ever since he took over the tourism department. According to him, the restaurant industry plays an important role in promoting tourism in the city, which also has an added advantage of having archaeological monuments and heritage locations.
The minister’s response came after a request was made by NRAI president Riyaaz Amlani for review of laws regarding the minimum legal age for drinking in Delhi.
Aside Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Meghalaya too have the same age limit for drinking.