First meeting of TVK-led Tamil Nadu government to focus on Tasmac reforms, investment promotion

C. Joseph Vijay. File | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will chair the first cabinet meeting of his government at the Secretariat in Chennai on Friday (June 5, 2026) at 11:00 AM. During the meeting, the new government is expected to discuss and take decisions on several key issues, particularly related to the functioning of Tasmac and industry and investment promotion.

The state government is planning a major administrative overhaul of Tasmac’s operations, from the procurement stage to the retail sale of liquor. These administrative reforms and monitoring mechanisms are expected to be discussed in detail in the Cabinet meeting, Prohibition and Excise Minister K. Vignesh said.

Discussions are expected to focus on creating a reliable system to ensure that the revenue generated by the sale of spirits by Tasmac goes exclusively to the state coffers and not to private individuals, he said on Thursday. As part of these proposed reforms, the state government is also expected to address alleged irregularities in the collection of ₹10 under the empty bottle buyback scheme by exploring the possibility of introducing a new scheme.

The minister said he would release on Friday a list of 717 Tasmac retail outlets that were closed following an order issued by Mr. Vijay soon after he took over as chief minister. He said the revenue loss to the exchequer after the closure of these Tasmac outlets would be around ₹8,000 crore. Asked if the government was considering increasing the retail price of liquor to compensate for the loss of revenue, Mr. Vignesh said there was no such proposal at present. He also denied reports that the government was considering privatizing liquor retailing.

Published – 04 Jun 2026 18:27 IST