Maharashtra minister Ashish Jaiswal has urged the forest department to allow non-vegetarian food in rest houses across reserved forests, sanctuaries, and tiger reserves, arguing the ban was driving tourists to private hotels and affecting forest revenue.

Jaiswal, the minister of state for finance and planning, wrote to the office of the state forest minister Ganesh Naik last year in which he argued that while the ban on liquor consumption at the state forest department`s facilities may continue, the ban on non-vegetarian food should be lifted as it is “not appropriate” and is causing financial losses to the department.