THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The State Government has stumbled upon more evidence to prove that other state lottery promoters are indulging in blatant violation of section 4 of the Central Lotteries Act.
Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac said the State Government had sent a letter to the Centre on September 18 citing the latest discoveries of violations, elaborating on them, and also reiterating the earlier findings that were detailed in the Vigilance and C AG reports.
Two instances of wrongdoing have come to the notice of the State Government, the Minister said. Singledigit lotteries in the name of Bhutan Government were seized from Malampuzha after a raid conducted on September 18.
A probe conducted by sales tax officials, with the help of their counterparts in Tamil Nadu, found that Bhutan and Sikkim paper lotteries were printed flouting the Lotteries Regulation Act. Mahalaxmi Offset Printers, Sivakasi, where these lotteries are printed, is not recognised by the RBI or the Indian Banks Association as a 'security press'.
"We hope the Centre will take action on this letter. Unfortunately, their response raises concerns. Recently, when we wrote to the Union Home Ministry, backed with proof, saying we had doubts about the promoter of Bhutan Lottery, the Ministry officials wrote back saying the letter should have been forwarded to the External Affairs Ministry. Now we have routed the letter to the External Affairs Ministry. Hope we'll get a response by September 30,'' the Minister told a news conference here on Tuesday.