Guwahati: After a gap of about two decades, the Assam government is planning to launch the state lottery to generate revenue to the tune of Rs 2500 crore every year. Although there is no official announcement yet, it is learned that the BJP-led government in Assam is planning to start the state lottery, which was banned in the state about two decades back.
Sources said that although the lottery was banned in the state, lotteries from other states are still running in Assam, affecting the state exchequer between Rs 2000 to Rs 2500 crores per year. Sources at Dispur said that a detailed plan is being made to stop this loss to the state exchequer by starting the state lottery. The sources further informed that the state government had also discussed the matter with the Central government for necessary approval.
It may be mentioned here that the state lottery was very popular in Assam but it had to be banned across the state during the 1990s as the lottery turned into a sort of gambling across the state and the negative impact it had on the society as a whole. The Opposition Congress in Assam as well as the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) have already slammed the government's plan to start the lottery as a means to generate revenue and said that it will have an adverse impact on the society, particularly among the youngsters in the state.
"The move to start the lottery also proves that the government has gone bankrupt. The government has failed to find a way to do make revenues and hence taking to all resorts to generate more revenue, even at the cost of public lives," said Congress spokesman Apurba Kumar Bhattacharyya. "The addiction to lottery is worst than the drugs. Assam had suffered badly about two decades ago. Now, if the government starts the lottery in the state again it will particularly affect the young generation and will have a severe impact on the society as a whole," said Palas Sangmai of the AJYCP and demanded the government reconsider its decision.
