The State government has collected ₹1,059.04 crore as cess on sale of liquor between 2014 and 2018.
The government had allotted ₹8.73 crore for 100 workers who had registered under the Abkari Welfare Fund Board.
These workers had lost their employment in bar hotels after the changes in liquor policy, the State government submitted before the Kerala High Court.
Since 2014, 726 bars were closed down, whereas the government gave permission for opening 689 beer and wine parlours. The government informed the court that ₹26.62 crore was spend on the rehabilitation of the alcoholics and awareness programmes. A modern de-addition centre would be opened in Kozhikode, the State submitted.
It was on a batch of petitions seeking financial aid from the fund that the State submitted the affidavit. The court will consider the case on November 22.
