One can call it innovation or sheer stupidity. But Chandrababu in a bid to raise revenues for his 'capital dreams' may soon revive the 'Bhagyalakshmi lottery' in Andhra Pradesh.
Reviving the lottery can rake in annual revenues of up to Rs 12000 crore per anum for Naidu.
Barring a few small states such as Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Nagaland, lotteries were banned in 16 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala.
However, under Section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, state governments are free to promote or prohibit the sale of tickets of lotteries organized, conducted or promoted by other states.
The figure of Rs 12000 crore indeed is nearly impossible to resist, but it is the moral aspect of the scheme that will surely come in for questioning.
Is it proper for the State government itself to encourage the people to believe in gambling or luck instead of hard work? Maybe, Naidu should be made to watch ‘Shubhalagnam’.
