The state government is likely to announce a new toddy policy from 1 October. The new policy is aimed at helping nearly 3 lakh people, including toddy tappers and others associated with the profession.
Toddy tappers and the state government are estimated to have lost over nearly Rs. 100 crore due to the ongoing general strike in the Telangana region.
The state government is likely to announce a new policy to help them on an immediate basis.
In the light of the pressure mounting on the state government for bringing the toddy profession under the Cooperative department, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu had recently assured toddy tappers that their demand would be met if the TDP returns to power in 2014.
The previous YSR government had, earlier, reduced tax on toddy, but did not do much later for the profession.
The then Finance Minister K Rosaiah later appointed several ministers' panels to review and study the issue of toddy tappers' welfare, for almost 6 years, but nothing emerged from these committees' meetings.
Further, a GO 767 was issued in the name of their development, which was not implemented properly.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy also did not review the subject, but cancelled about 1,400 toddy shop licenses.
In 2005-06, as many as 12,513 shops existed, employing over 2.79 lakh toddy workers, and over a lakh people depended on it indirectly. However, these numbers have been reduced significantly in the later years. (INN)