Tue Apr 22 18:57:27 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Announces Pay Hike for Tasmac Employees, Boosts Anti-Liquor and Drug Efforts

**Chennai, April 23, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu state government has announced a ₹2,000 monthly salary increase for all 23,629 employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), effective April 1st. This will cost the state an additional ₹64.08 crore per month, according to Excise Minister V. Senthilbalaji. The announcement was made Tuesday during the Assembly’s demand for grants for the Prohibition and Excise Department.

The move comes as the government reported ₹48,344 crore in revenue (subject to reconciliation) from excise and liquor value-added tax in fiscal year 2024-25. To combat illicit liquor, the state has enacted the Tamil Nadu Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2024, increasing penalties and allowing confiscation of assets used in illegal liquor operations.

Further strengthening its fight against substance abuse, the government has equipped the Enforcement Bureau of the Criminal Investigation Unit (EBCID) with 50 hand-held oral fluid drug testing devices for faster detection of drug users. The number of Chief Minister Police medals awarded has also been increased to 15 for 2025-26.

The EBCID is also undergoing modernization with a ₹35 lakh allocation for a dedicated web portal and the deployment of digital forensic tools, including web analytics and OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence), to combat online drug smuggling.

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