Increase in revenue from the Excise Department was not due to increase in the volume of liquor sales or increase in the licensed liquor outlets but it was due to tax restructuring and checking non-duty paid sales and flow of liquor from neighbouring States, Minister for Excise V. Srinivas Goud told the Assembly on Saturday.
In his reply to the debate (voting) on demand for grants to the Excise Department, the Minister attributed the increase in the revenue from ₹10,238 crore in 2018-19 to ₹20,483 crore in 2019-20 to the improved efficiency of the department. He compared the revenue from liquor sales to that of revenue from sand before and after formation of Telangana stating that it had increased to over ₹2,000 crore now from mere ₹50 crore till 2014.
He explained that the number of liquor outlets was still lowest in Telangana (2,217) compared to neighbouring States — Andhra Pradesh (3,500), Karnataka (5,057) and Tamil Nadu (5,299). In terms of volumes, the sale of liquor had increased by 11% and that of beer by 9%. “Generally, the Excise Department is seen as revenue earner to the government, but it also implements several welfare schemes too,” the Minister noted.
Stating that there were about 5 lakh toddy tappers in the State, including nearly half of them in cooperatives, Mr. Srinivas Goud said number of toddy trees were chopped during combined AP rule to deny livelihood to the community depending on the activity. Discrimination against toddy tappers was so high that they were not given any ex-gratia payment even for fatal fall from trees, but the damage to coconut groves in cyclones was compensated heavily, he pointed out.
Neera cafes
The Minister stated that the government was planning to open ‘neera’ cafes in Tank Bund area in Hyderabad and also in other district headquarters to supply non-adulterated and fresh toddy stating that it was good to consume from the health point view too.
On the brewers of illicit distillation (liquor) in Dhoolpet area in Hyderabad, the Minister said the people there were of hard-working nature but they were not given an opportunity to transform by the successive governments by showing alternate livelihoods. The Telangana government, however, had rehabilitated many of them already and they had taken up other livelihood activities.
