Youth slam move to raise legal drinking age to 25

NAGPUR: More and more people are coming out against the state government's decision to raise the legal drinking age to 25 years. Nagpurians have expressed complete support for actor Imran Khan, who has decided to file a public interest litigation against the law
Describing it as a whimsical and outdated notion of our government, city students said this was just another in a series of illogical decisions by the state government, like the CBSE-state deadlock over board exams and admissions.They expressed a clear opinion that the state's impulsive decision has disappointed the youths.
Some students said the rule is senseless and lacks rationality. They said that if an individual is considered an adult at 18 years of age, and capable of making the right decisions on everything, including voting, he should also be allowed to drink.
"If a person can vote at 18 and marry at 21, why should drinking age be raised to 25? How did the government decide 25 is the best age to start drinking?" asked a student.
Vinay Pandey, a graduate student, said, "Why should a petty thing like drinking be barred till 25? Everybody should be able to enjoy life as they want. The age bar is nonsense and should be discarded. Also, underage youths will still try hard drinks, and it may just result in more youths ending up in jail."
Engineering graduate Kshitij Patil said, "According to me there should be no age bar for drinking. Basically drinking is a bad habit, so why should we set age limits for it? If this rule is enforced anyway, more youths will rebel against it. Also, there is no way to check violations. This will only invite more people to flout the rules."
Some of the youth supported the government, but questioned how the law will be implemented. Student Devika Girish said, "Even social drinking is not acceptable. The government's intention behind raising the age bar was to protect citizens from the influence of alcohol. It is a step to inculcate good habits, but whether the law will be implemented efficiently is a big question mark."
Lorenzo Azavedo, a graduate student, said, "The state is right in raising the drinking age to 25 years. By this age people are mature enough to consider the pros and cons of each situation, and drink liquor if they feel right. Although, I accept that this law will create some rebels, but the state is encouraging rationality among them."