New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has ruled out banning liquor in the state, saying the revenue from excise was used for public welfare and developmental schemes. 

State Excise Minister Jai Pratap Singh said in the state Assembly, "The revenue from excise is used in public welfare and developmental schemes of the state. Banning liquor sale will indirectly promote illicit liquor sale and people will start purchasing from illegal sources which will adversely affect their health. 

"Thus, for revenue and public interest, banning liquor in the state does seem to be justified," he added.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, in an apparent reference to the Congress, said it was an irony that those who ruled the country and the state for over 50 years were raising the issue of liquor ban.