Auction of indigenous contracts had started in the last decade of the nineteenth century.
Those who think that everything was ‘sharp and sharp’ during the British rule, they should change their opinion. The sale of ‘adulterated’ had started during his time. There were complaints of ‘low climbing’. Therefore, sealing of bottles was started in the beginning of the nineteenth century. ‘English’ had not yet reached Sultanpur for the common people. The ‘Desi’ distillery on Rae Bareli Road near the city produced liquor made from ‘Mahua and molasses’. This distillery, run by local people, had 30 distilleries, whose production was insufficient for Sultanpur. But since the distillery of neighboring Pratapgarh was closed since October 1900, the needs there were somehow being met from here.
While lack of supply as compared to demand becomes a problem, it also opens up new avenues by becoming an opportunity. This was a perfect opportunity for people engaged in business to do their art. When complaints started, efforts for prevention also started. In the first phase, sealing of bottles of one-sixth of the stock was made mandatory at the time of withdrawal. For the remaining questions like why not, availability of resources can only be speculated about now.
Auction of indigenous contracts started in the last decade of the nineteenth century.
Auction of indigenous contracts had started in the last decade of the nineteenth century. This was seen as a great possibility for increasing government revenue. However, from the point of view of the current business of this item, the receipts of this section may seem disappointing. In 1901, Rs 63,000 were received in distillery head duty. The total receipt from the auction of 179 contracts across the district was Rs 26,000. If the habit of drinking is judged from the price of shops from different areas of the district, the most expensive shop in the city was at Rs. 1900 per annum.
The shop in Raipur (Amethi) was auctioned for Rs 1,000 and the shop in Gauriganj was auctioned for Rs 760. Other shops in this tehsil were also considered good from revenue point of view. Shops in Musafirkhana and Shukul Bazaar area were also in the list of better earnings. The British officials were most disappointed with Kadipur tehsil, where the total shops collected barely Rs 1,000 in a year. During that period, the shop at Kadipur headquarter never sold for more than Rs 12. Same was the condition of other shops also. Toddy was also a source of government income. From this one could earn four hundred and fifty rupees annually. Opium, ganja and hashish were also sold. In 1901, the consumption of opium in the district was 466 seers. In 1900, ₹ 778.00 was earned from opium and in 1901, ₹ 1570.00 was earned. There was no mention of the amount collected from ganja-charas shops.
The British discovered caste and religion even when drunk.
The complaint of the British is to increase the distance and divide between Hindus and Muslims. Interestingly, he also considered caste and religion in ‘intoxicants’. H.R. Nevills ICS wrote in the Sultanpur Gazetteer published in 1903 that ‘Desi’ is mainly the choice of Pasis and small castes.
Amethi-Gauriganj area has more population of Pasis, hence there is more consumption there. ‘Ganja’ is popular among the higher and stronger castes of Hindus. Especially Thakur-Yadav are ahead in its use. Kadipur has a special place in it. Charas is also used but it is among the weaker section. Muslims like ‘opium’ but the number of users is not very high. In the following decades, it was proved that at least on the question of consumption of these ‘substances’, people bridged the caste-religion-class divide.
Illegal liquor trade even in the beginning of the 20th century
The business of making illegal liquor was still prevalent. According to Nevils, ‘But it is not very much. The ‘Pasis’ of Amethi-Gauriganj are particularly active in this but they are not particularly harmful to the revenue. After independence, most of the raids of the Excise Department for the manufacture of illegal liquor have been taking place in ‘Nishad settlements’, but there is no mention of them in this business in the records of the early twentieth century of the British Raj.
At that time, opium (poppy) was cultivated in some parts of Thauri, Haliapur and Baldirai of Musafirkhana tehsil. It had three percent share in Ravi crop in Musafirkhana tehsil. Other parts of the district were not interested in it. Although the British encouraged it. He said that the soil and climate here is suitable for this and it is more beneficial because of getting advance money. There was abundance of Mahua. But the tax of ‘two annas per tree’ by the Talukdars troubled the people. There was also some tobacco cultivation but its area was limited to near the urban areas.
Drug income then and now!
Just consider the amount received by the government from the excise head about 125 years ago and the related figures of Sultanpur for 2025-26 from the perspective of how beneficial the ‘gift of contracts from the British’ proved to be for the revenue of the pro-prohibition governments of independent India. According to the census of 1901, the population of undivided Sultanpur was 10,83,904.
In the last census of 2011, the population of Sultanpur was 37,97,117, but this included the population of 15,48,081 of Amethi, Musafirkhana and Gauriganj, which belonged to the separate Amethi district which came into existence from 1 July 2010. Thus the current population of Sultanpur is 22,49,036. See details of government’s earnings from a small district from domestic and foreign liquor, beer and cannabis.
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