Bangla[1] is an alcoholic beverage made from starch and sold in West Bengal. There are government licensed counters to sell this beverage. Bangla is a distilled country liquor. Notable Bengali liquor names are Uran, Captain, Pincon Bangla number one, Sengupta's Punch, Sengupta's Spark, Tarzan, Dada, Wonder, etc.[2]
According to the government data of 2015, 48% of the West Bengal state's market share is Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), 39% is the Bangla drink. 11% of the market share is beer and the remaining 2% are occupied by wine and other spirits.[2] Bangla is generally consumed by those who cannot afford other more expensive alcohol.[3] The market, however, has been increasing for domestic liquor; this is due to a combination of a change in government policy that allows Bengali liquor to be sold in more outlets, improved production, and packaging, and new marketing strategies.[2]
The vast majority of excise revenue in the state of West Bengal is coming from cheap Bengali liquor. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, the figure reached 3,600 crore.[2]
