HYDERABAD: Prohibition and Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud on Friday said that the State government was ready to implement total prohibition in Telangana if the Centre did likewise across the country. The Minister also ruled out the possibility of bringing down the cheap liquor rates in the State. During a debate on the Excise demand in the State Legislative Assembly, he said: “The State government has no intention to earn money through liquor sales. When the neighbouring States are allowing liquor sale, Telangana cannot enforce prohibition in isolation as it will lead to growth of liquor mafia and sale of illicit liquor.”
He recalled that when the then AP CM NT Rama Rao implemented total prohibition, illicit liquor from Karnataka and other neighbouring States flowed into AP, resulting in deaths of several people.
TS spent Rs 7.7K cr on Covid, Centre gave Rs 1.1 cr: Vemula
Responding to Congress MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s plea for reduction in the rate of cheap liquor, Srinivas Goud replied in the negative.
Vikramarka said that the cheap liquor bottle was just Rs 30 before 2014 and now it is being sold at Rs 130 to Rs 150 per bottle. “The poor consume cheap liquor. Reduce the rates, as they are spending their earnings on liquor,” he said.
However, Srinivas Goud said that they would not reduce the rates of cheap liquor. “When the prices are reduced more people would consume it. If prices are high, then the consumption will be less,” he said.
Meanwhile, replying to the debate on Revenue demand, R&B Minister Vemula Prashant Reddy said that the total amount spent on Covid-19 management and control by the State government was Rs 7,798 crore and the funds received from the Centre for the same was just Rs 1,125 crore.
He said that total registration transactions were 8.2 lakh and revenue realised was Rs 3,000 crore before 2014. Now, the total number of transactions increased to 18 lakhs and the revenue through the Stamps and Registrations galloped to Rs 11,000 crore, he said.
The Minister said one more module was being developed to resolve problems related to Dharani portal. Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar said that the income of TSRTC came down to Rs 8.7 crore per day now from Rs 13 crore earlier.