Neera café to support toddy tappers in TS

Hyderabad: In a first, the Telangana government on Wednesday kicked off a Neera (pure toddy) Café and Food Court at Necklace Road, coming right on the heels of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announcing ₹5 lakh insurance cover for toddy tappers.

After the inauguration by excise minister V. Srinivas Goud and animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, toddy tappers offered a ‘Neerabishekam (toddy bath)’ to a portrait of the Chief Minister, in a gesture of thankfulness.

Srinivas Goud said that the Chief Minister was in encouragement and support of toddy tapping as a profession, with around 1 lakh toddy tappers aged above 50 getting a monthly pension of ₹2,016.  

“Fifteen per cent reservation is provided to the Gouda community in allotment of wine shops in the state,” he said.

Minister V Srinivas Goud and Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav inaugurated the Government of Telangana Neera cafe at Necklace Road on Wednesday. (Photo: K. Durga Rao)

Discussing other initiatives, he said that the prohibition and excise department planted 4.2 crore palm saplings under the Telangana ku Haritha Haram programme and warned of stringent action against those illegally chopping down palm trees.

He said that the Neera policy was prepared for the benefit of toddy tappers, highlighting the increase of ex gratia from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh to families, and the increase of aid to disabled tappers from ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh. He said that around 2.34 lakh toddy tappers benefited from the abolition of tax on palm trees.

Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation chairman Gellu Srinivas Yadav, former MLCs V.G. Goud and Swamy Goud were also present on the occasion.  

Ministers were accorded a traditional welcome, on the lines of Bonalu, with potharajus hired for the purpose. Gouda community members and prohibition and excise department officials also took part in the programme.