Chennai

ProhibitionMinister K Vignesh on Tuesday said 53 to 54 per cent of commercial glass bottles were successfully returned since the TASMAC bottle buyback scheme came into effect on November 1.

In a strong reorientation of the state’s excise policy, Vignesh explicitly said that high sales volumes from the state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) should not be portrayed or celebrated as an achievement. The increase in liquor sales is a matter of shame, he emphasised.

“High sales figures are not an accolade for the government,” Minister Vignesh asserted, underlining a shift toward a long-term public health strategy aimed at progressively reducing alcohol consumption across the state.

Speaking to reporters here, the minister underscored that rising liquor consumption is a matter of profound social concern and shame rather than a metric of success. As part of the government’s harm-reduction roadmap, Minister Vignesh announced an ambitious healthcare initiative to set up dedicated de-addiction and rehabilitation centres across all 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The project aims to provide localised, accessible medical and psychological support for individuals battling alcohol dependency.

Looking ahead, the minister outlined an upcoming regulatory strategy specifically targeted at tapering liquor sales during major festival periods, which traditionally witness massive revenue spikes. He added that the state will simultaneously undertake extensive public awareness campaigns focusing on the severe physical, psychological, and socioeconomic harms of long-term alcohol consumption.

Addressing recent technical disruptions linked to the digital tracking infrastructure, the minister stated that the underlying QR code verification systems were fully functional prior to the November 1 rollout. He promised a rigorous, unbiased investigation into the current glitches to streamline the return mechanism swiftly.