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Minister slams Oppn for crying foul
Highlights
Minister for Excise T Padma Rao on Monday slammed the Opposition for crying foul over the new Excise policy. The new policy was designed to ensure that the people in villages do not fall prey to illicit liquor or Gudumba, as it is popularly known.Addressing the media at Secretariat along with Excise Principal Secretary R V Chandravadan here, Padma Rao challenged the critics to prove that the new policy would prove harmful to the health of people.
- Excise Minister Padma Rao defends the decision to encourage ‘cheap liquor’ as the move is intended to eliminate illicit liquor or Gudumba as it is popularly known
- Government is determined to weed out illicitly brewed liquor once and for all
Hyderabad: Minister for Excise T Padma Rao on Monday slammed the Opposition for crying foul over the new Excise policy. The new policy was designed to ensure that the people in villages do not fall prey to illicit liquor or Gudumba, as it is popularly known.Addressing the media at Secretariat along with Excise Principal Secretary R V Chandravadan here, Padma Rao challenged the critics to prove that the new policy would prove harmful to the health of people.
“The Chief Minister, K Chandrashekar Rao has taken a courageous decision to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) though it will result in revenue loss to the exchequer. The steps are intended to dissuade the people in villages from consuming Gudumba. The loss of revenue due to reduction in tax on cheap liquor is to the tune of Rs 1200 crore a year” he said.
He particularly singled out the Congress party for criticism by saying that the party when it was in government had never paid ex gratia to anyone who fell victims to Gudumba. “I persuaded the Chief Minister to grant Rs 30 crore to pay ex gratia to those who fall victims to Gudumba,” Padma Rao said.
He made it clear that the State government would come up with a new liquor policy in four or five days. The policy was designed to curb the illicit liquor and thus protect the lives of gullible people. “We have taken a decision to encourage cheap liquor in the wake of death of 60-70 persons in a village after consuming illicitly brewed liquor. Consequently, women at young age of 30-35 years are losing their husbands and the children are becoming orphans.
Our aim is to ensure that the lives of the poor people in the villages are protected by weeding out Gudumba,” he said. The Minister said an Inspector General of Police-level official would coordinate and supervise raids on illicit or spurious liquor centres. Stern action would be taken against bootleggers, he warned.
Padma Rao lashed out at the opposition parties for levelling allegations of corruption against him. “In fact all my nine properties in the city were sold away during the last nine year. I am now left with a small house,” he said. He further said he had recently approached banks for loan to build a house on a small plot he owned. He challenged the opposition to prove charges against him and he would quit from the Cabinet, if the allegations were substantiated.
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