Tamil Nadu Hikes Liquor Store Staff Wages To End 'Overcharging' Per Bottle

In a bid to stamp out the long-running practice of government liquor outlets charging customers Rs 10 above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for every bottle sold, the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced a 25 per cent salary hike for employees of state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) shops, besides extending Employees' State Insurance (ESI) benefits to them.The move is aimed at removing what the government says has become an entrenched system of illegal collections while improving employee welfare. Prohibition and Excise Minister Vignesh said the government would also crack down on overcharging, with staff found collecting excess money facing suspension. He also announced that bar licences would be revoked if persons below 21 years were allowed entry."For me, my employees and their welfare are important. Equally important is the public. They can't be forced to shell out more money," the minister said, making it clear that the salary hike would not result in any increase in liquor prices.The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has repeatedly alleged that the Rs 10 collected above MRP during the previous DMK regime was diverted as "party funds", with customers forced to pay illegally over and above the notified price. The DMK has denied the allegation.Explaining what he called the scale of the scam, Vignesh had earlier claimed that around one crore liquor bottles were sold every day in 2021-22. At Rs 10 extra per bottle, that translates into Rs 10 crore a day, Rs 300 crore a month and nearly Rs 3,600 crore a year, he alleged."Employees were given a meagre amount, and their names were tarnished," he had said, questioning why the previous DMK government did not end the practice despite it allegedly continuing for years.During the DMK regime, then Excise Minister Senthil Balaji had maintained that action had been taken whenever complaints of overcharging surfaced and that erring employees were proceeded against.The crackdown is part of the TVK government's broader anti-corruption agenda. The government has already claimed to have plugged alleged irregularities in public procurement, accusing the previous regime of inflating tender values by as much as 40 per cent to siphon off funds as party money. It says ending those practices has resulted in substantial savings for the state exchequer.The corruption charge has also resonated inside the Assembly. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay recently alleged that corruption was carried out in the name of "party funds", triggering protests from Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, who challenged him to back the allegation with evidence.