WHO drops plan to target alcohol use reduction

NEW DELHI: In a highly controversial move, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dropped its plan to set a target for cutting down on alcohol use across the world over the next 13 years.

In January 2012, the WHO set a target to reduce per capita consumption of alcohol globally by 10% and another 10% reduction of heavy episodic drinking by 2025 as part of its global plan to reduce the burden of non communicable diseases (NCDs).

But an updated set of global targets for NCDs released to member states including India on March 22 strangely had no mention of alcohol.......