Lockdown: Tasmac may lose Rs 2,500 cr

Owing to this, Tamil Nadu Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), the monopoly agency in selling liquor and the moneyspinner for the state, would result in distribution of freebies and other welfare measures being affected in the coming financial year. The total earnings of about Rs 31,000 crore during 2019-20 from the liquor sales, which is about 30 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s revenue was used to implement various welfare schemes.

A senior official from Tasmac told DT Next that the average daily liquor sales is about Rs 100 crore and on weekends it would go up to Rs 150 crore. “When the liquor shops were closed on Sunday last due to Janata Curfew, we had already lost around Rs 150 crore and due to total shutdown from March 25 to April 14 (21 days), the government will incur revenue loss to the tune of about Rs 2,500 crore,” he said.

Tasmac shops in Chennai alone contribute about Rs 10 crore per day to the exchequer. Liquor shops in other major cities in the state get anywhere between Rs 5 to Rs 2 crore. “We will be losing at least Rs 200 crore from Chennai alone through liquor sales due to three-week shutdown,” he said.

Going by the statistics given by a senior official from the School Education Department, the government spends about Rs 4,200 crore for as many as 16 schemes, including purchase of uniforms, school kits and laptops, which were supplied free of cost to the students.

“For the noon-meal scheme alone, the government spends about Rs 1,900 crore from the revenue obtained through liquor sale,” the official added.

Though people’s money will be saved due to the non-availability of liquor, an official from the Special Programme Implementation Department said, “bulk of the amount from the revenue yielded through liquor sales goes for welfare schemes, including free uniforms and textbooks for students.”