Mumbai, Mar 20 (PTI) The Maharashtra government is contemplating setting up a network of informers to provide information about illicit liquor trade, state minister Shambhuraj Desai informed the state legislative Assembly on Monday.

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The state excise minister was responding to a question by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar about firm steps taken by the government on liquor trade.

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"We plan to set up an informers' network on the lines of the one the police have. These informers will give information about illicit liquor trade operating in districts. Those who supply information may also receive monetary rewards," Desai said.

While posing the query during the question hour, Pawar suggested that the state excise department can have a network of informers to stop illicit liquor trade and proposal to this effect had been under discussion when he handled the department.

These informers could be paid lakhs of rupees if needed, as the state government was losing taxes worth crores because of illegal liquor trade, he said.

Desai further said that apart from setting up an informers' network, the government is also mulling the option of holding a district-level official responsible if cases of illicit liquor trade were reported in a region.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)