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Andhra Pradesh Seeks End to Ethanol Sanitiser Licence Exemption
Andhra Pradesh wants a special rule for selling some hand sanitisers to end.
The rule was created during the Covid-19 pandemic to make sanitisers easier to buy.
It allowed ethanol-based sanitisers to be sold without a sale licence.
Officials now say some people in Vijayawada are buying and drinking these products instead of liquor.
During inspections, officials found some shops selling unusually large amounts.
One pharmacy sold about 33,586 small bottles over 18 months.
The state says ethanol-free sanitisers are now widely available.
It believes removing the exemption could stop sanitisers from being sold as liquor substitutes.
Andhra Pradesh has asked the Central government to withdraw the sale-licence exemption for ethanol-based hand sanitisers.
Officials say some Vijayawada traders are selling sanitisers as substitutes for liquor.
Inspections found unusually large quantities of ethanol sanitiser being sold at some medical shops.
One pharmacy bought and sold about 33,586 100-millilitre bottles of 70% ethanol sanitiser over 18 months.
The department has begun action to cancel the licences of three retail medical outlets.
- Who
- The Andhra Pradesh Drugs Control Administration, led by director-general P. Arun Babu, made the request to the Central government.
- What
- It asked for the withdrawal of the sale-licence exemption for ethanol-based hand sanitisers.
- Where
- The alleged misuse and inspections described in the report occurred in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
- When
- The exemption was introduced on July 27, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic; the request was made after four years of continued exemption.
- Why
- Officials say some ethanol-based sanitisers are being consumed as liquor substitutes and that ethanol-free alternatives are now readily available.
State’s Public-Health Concern
Pandemic-Era Availability Rationale
Whether the exemption should continue
State’s Public-Health Concern
Andhra Pradesh officials want the exemption withdrawn, saying it is being misused to sell ethanol-based sanitisers as substitutes for liquor.
Pandemic-Era Availability Rationale
The exemption was introduced by the Central government during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure easy availability of hand sanitisers.
Current market needs
State’s Public-Health Concern
The state says ethanol-free sanitisers are now readily available, so ethanol-based products no longer need the same licence exemption.
Pandemic-Era Availability Rationale
The articles do not report a response from the Central government explaining whether it believes the exemption remains necessary.
Key facts
- Requesting authority
- Andhra Pradesh Drugs Control Administration
- State official
- Director-general P. Arun Babu
- Central notification
- Notification S.O. 245(E), issued on July 27, 2020
- Product involved
- Ethanol-based hand sanitiser containing 70% v/v ethanol
- Reported sales
- About 33,586 bottles of 100 ml each over approximately 18 months at one Vijayawada pharmacy
- Enforcement action
- Licence-cancellation action initiated against three retail medical outlets
- Alternative cited
- Ethanol-free sanitisers are reportedly readily available
Sources
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