Hyderabad: Neera popularity will reach dizzy heights

Hyderabad: Hyderabad will soon have its very first government-owned 'Neera Café'. This cafe which would come up in the central part of Hyderabad will be a symbol of identity assertion for members of the Goud community (toddy tapper community), according to Minister for IT K T Rama Rao.

The proposed café for which the minister laid the foundation stone on Thursday is likely to cost about Rs 4 crore to Rs 5 crore. KTR said, "I believe once people taste Neera and understand its health benefits, it will become a popular drink, and many stalls will come up in the state to benefit workers." KTR also spoke about the TRS government's focus on strengthening the expertise of people in their caste occupations.

It may be mentioned here that Neera is a drink extracted from toddy palm which turns into toddy on fermentation. Along with Neera stalls, stalls selling food items will also come up along the Outer Ring Road. The decision to open Neera stalls was taken during October last year. Later similar stalls will come up in various parts of the state.

The purpose of opening Neera stalls is to provide livelihood for members of the toddy tappers community. Those who propose to set up the stalls will have to obtain licence from the government both for production and sale of Neera.

Speaking at the event, Excise Minister Srinivas Goud explained that opening of Neera shops apart from creating employment generation will also help the Goud community to state what their profession was. So far, toddy has been considered as cheap drink and hence if one had to mention his profession anywhere, he used to feel embarrassed. But now since all rich and mighty would be visiting the Neera stalls in swanky Benz cars, the Gouds can proudly state their profession. It is a matter of self-esteem more than earning huge money, he added. Several leaders from the Goud community were present at the event.