Tamil Nadu orders halt to 102 crore rupee liquor scheme

The Tamil Nadu government has launched a major anticorruption initiative targeting the state's liquor monopoly, ordering an immediate halt to unofficial financial collections that officials allege siphoned vast sums from public revenue. Chief Minister Joseph Vijay directed the overhaul during his first Cabinet meeting, instructing authorities to dismantle informal networks within the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) and ensure all earnings flow directly to the state treasury.

According to senior government sources, an estimated 102 crore rupees was being diverted monthly through these unofficial channels, described as "party fund" collections embedded in the procurement and distribution system. Over the past five years, this could amount to approximately 1,600 crore rupees lost from the exchequer. The Minister for Prohibition and Excise, K Vignesh, stated that a large syndicate operating within TASMAC has been broken and that the practice of collecting commissions on liquor cases has been stopped by a government order issued on June 5.

Officials explained that the alleged system involved structured commissions: approximately 90 rupees per standard liquor case, 40...