Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has promised that toddy would be removed as a subject of the Excise Department and made part of Village Khadi Board like in Kerala and Gujarat if Congress was voted to power in 2019.
The TPCC chief also promised that the license period for toddy sale would be increased from present five to 10 years and ex-gratia for the toddy tappers who have fatal fall from trees would be enhanced to ₹ 10 lakh. He said despite announcing ₹ 5 lakh ex-gratia, the TRS government did not pay the amount to family of a single victim.
Financial assistance
Addressing a meeting organised by Telangana Gouda Sangham on the premises of Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, he also assured that the machines which are being used to climb toddy trees in Kerala and other States would be provided to toddy tappers on subsidy. He said a Goud Hostel would be constructed on 10 acres of land at a cost of ₹ 20 crore and the toddy tappers federation will be given financial assistance of ₹ 100 crore per annum.
Mr. Reddy reminded that Congress party and Goud community have been synonymous since several decades and pointed out that Ponnam Prabhakar and Madhu Yaskhi Goud were elected to Lok Sabha on Congress ticket while B. Bhikshamaiah Goud was the DCC president of erstwhile Nalgonda district. He also promised that the statue of Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud Maharaj would be installed at Tank Bund. Accusing Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao of cheating the Backward Classes, he said KCR is now talking about BC Sub-Plan while it had miserably failed to spend even the allocated funds for the welfare of BCs. He asked all BC communities to be cautious with KCR and do not believe his tall promises. The public meeting attended by top leaders of Goud community from across Telangana was also addressed by senior leaders Shabbir Ali, Madhu Yashki Goud, Ponnam Prabhakar and M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, Bhikshamaiah Goud and Sataiah Goud among others.
