Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Neera Samvardhan Yojana’ (Chief Minister’s Neera Promotion Scheme) launched on April 30, Bihar government has planned to provide employment and financial assistance to palm tree owners and toddy tappers (person who extracts Neera – unfermented palm sap drink).

The scheme has been implemented for the toddy season from April to July this year with the joint initiative of Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department and Jeevika, the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society.

An incentive amount will be given to 20,000 toddy tappers at the rate of ₹8 per litre of Neera produced directly to their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Two lakh palm trees have been identified for Neera production in Bihar.

Leader of the Opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav had earlier promised to make changes to the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 by keeping toddy out of its ambit. People engaged in toddy tapping belong to the Pasi (Dalit) community and it is their only source of income.

Failed venture

After total prohibition was announced in April 2016, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said that Neera would be processed into a health drink and marketed across the State. However, the initiative failed to make a mark in the open market and several Neera kiosks were shut down. 

Under the Prohibition Act, the toddy (Taadi) is banned and the government has made alternative arrangements for the people involved in its production and sale. The State government is continuously promoting Neera, the palm juice tapped fresh before sunrise. The same juice turns toddy after fermentation.

The highest number of toddy tappers and palm trees in the State have been identified in Nalanda, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts. After verification of the tapper through Jeevika, the license is issued by the Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department.

To promote the production of Neera, palm tree owners will be given an additional incentive amount for a maximum of 10 trees at the rate of ₹3 per litre of Neera produced . In this, an incentive amount of ₹5,850 will be paid to the palm tree owner for the ownership and tapping of a maximum of ten trees at the rate of ₹585 per tree.

Under the scheme, on tapping 10 trees, the tappers will get ₹15,600 and the owner of 10 palm trees will get an incentive of ₹5,850 directly from the Jeevika group in their bank account through DBT.

A proportional incentive amount will be payable for less than 10 palm trees. At the same time, the tappers will also be given a separate amount of ₹30 per tree for marking the palm tree.

Most of the Neera sales centres are established in Nalanda district.

Explaining its benefits, a senior official of the Prohibition department on Thursday said, “Neera is very beneficial for health and that’s the reason the State government is promoting it. Minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, sodium and phosphorus are found in abundance in Neera. Also, the antioxidants present in it strengthen the body’s immune system. It is a natural probiotic and helps in increasing hemoglobin.”