Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief Minister
It is a matter of great pride that this LDF Government is a successor of the Government that officially introduced lotteries in Kerala in 1967. The Kerala State Lotteries not only make hundreds of thousands of people lucky on a daily basis; it also provides a means of livelihood to as many. The Lottery Welfare Board ensures the welfare of lottery agents, sellers and their families. Above all, the revenue generated is utilised for the benefit of the people itself, through schemes like Karunya. Therefore, it is our duty as a society to preserve and promote this sector. The LDF Government is committed to realising a new and attractive prize structure, providing enhanced security measures and conducting timely reforms, so that everyone associated with the Kerala State Lotteries can benefit.
It was in 1967 that the government of Kerala set up a department for the lottery. The idea for setting up this department was from the then finance Minister of the state, the state P. K. Kunju Sahib. Kerala was the first state to set up a department for conducting paper lotteries. Department started functioning on September 1, 1967, with Shri. P. K. Seydu Mohammed as the founder-director. It released the first lottery ticket declaring Rs 50,000/-as the first prize. The ticket cost was just Rs 1 and the first draw was conducted on January 26, 1968. The objectives of starting the lottery programme were to provide employment to people and supplement government finance without disturbing the public. The department soon became a model for other states to start their own lotteries.
Prizes worth crores
This story is from the August 21, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the August 21, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
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