Cheap Liquor Via Lower Taxes In TS: Excise Minister

Taking a jibe at the Opposition criticism on the yet-to-be-disclosed new excise policy for 2015-16 that is expected in a week, Telangana Excise Minister T Padma Rao Goud today said that the TRS government was committed to protecting the people in villages from falling prey to illicit liquor.

Addressing the media at the Secretariat today along with Principal Secretary (Excise) Chandravadan and others, Goud said that unmindful of a revenue loss of hundreds of crores, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had taken a courageous decision to reduce VAT from Rs 1,800 to Rs 700 on each case (on about 1.50 lakh cases being sold).

"We have taken a decision to encourage cheap liquor after finding that some 60 to 70 persons in a village died due to consumption of illicit liquor. Consequently, women in the age group of 30 to 35 years are becoming widows and their children are becoming orphans. Our aim is to ensure that the lives of the poor people in the villages are protected through cheap liquor instead, and we will conduct widespread publicity for the purpose," he said.

He said that the state government would come up with a new liquor policy in four or five days aimed at protecting the lives of the consumers by ensuring that spurious liquor supply would end.

An IG level official would coordinate and supervise raids on illicit or spurious liquor centers, and would take stern action against those involved, he warned.

Rao denied reports that liquor under a new name would be launched under the new policy.

He also slammed the Opposition parties for protesting though during the Congress regime they did not offer ex-gratia to illicit liquor victims for six years.

"On knowing of the illicit liquor deaths in the districts, I convinced the Chief Minister to grant Rs 30 crores in ex gratia, and distributed cheques to the kin of victims," he said.