THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Lotteries Department disburses Rs 7,000 crore as prizes to winners each year, Finance Minister K N Balagopal said on Wednesday. He made the statement while inaugurating the first training programme for lottery winners organised by the department.
The minister also highlighted that since 2012, the department has provided Rs 1,732 crore to the government’s Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) healthcare scheme from the earnings of the Karunya and Karunya Plus lotteries. Additionally, the department provides employment opportunities to around two lakh people directly and indirectly. The Lottery Welfare Fund Board looks after the welfare of agents and salespersons. The minister also noted that the revised prize structure of lotteries helped to increase the number of prizes from 5.2 crore to 8.5 crore per year. The department plans to modernise its operations.
The minister stated that the training programme for lottery winners is intended to help them utilise their prize money wisely. The programme will be held monthly or bimonthly as per requirement.
The Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) has prepared a training module that covers topics such as money management, mental stress relief, tax liability, and investment opportunities. About 35 first prize winners, including Anoop B, the winner of the Rs 25 crore Thiruvonam Bumper 2022, participated in the programme. The minister added that training in money management and awareness of taxes will help the winners.
V K Prasanth MLA presided over the function, and State Lotteries Director Abraham Renn and GIFT director Prof K J Joseph spoke at the event.
LAUNCHES TRAINING PROGRAMME
The minister stated that the training programme for lottery winners is intended to help them utilise their prize money wisely. The programme will be held monthly or bimonthly as per requirement. The module is prepared by Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT)