Thiruvananthapuram: People from other states generally accuse Keralites of being heavy drinkers. Any celebration in the state generates crores of rupees and record liquor sales. However, a new report has revealed that Malayalis' spending on alcohol and smoking has decreased sharply over the past four years compared to other states.
The survey report by The New Indian Express suggested that those in rural areas of Kerala spend 1.88% of their total household expenditure on alcohol and tobacco, while those in urban areas spend 1.37%. The national average is 3.70% and 2.41% respectively. That is, Kerala is in second position to spend the least amount of money on alcohol and smoking in the country!
Statistics for urban and rural areas in states and union territories: Andaman and Nicobar spend the most money in rural areas (9.08 %) and Arunachal Pradesh (6.51 %) in urban areas.
The lowest is in Goa (1.52 %) in rural areas and Maharashtra (1.14 %) in urban areas.
Earlier, in a survey conducted in 2011-12, Keralites' expenditure on intoxicants was 2.68% in rural areas and 1.87% in urban areas. The latest survey shows that it is low in both areas.
Another fact is that there has been a reduction in spending money on food items. Allocation for food items has been reduced in Kerala's total family budget. In rural areas, it was 42.99% in 2012, and now it is 39.10%. In urban areas, 36.97% was spent on food, and now it has come down to 36.01%.