Commercialisation of toddy led to adulteration; it is an attack on tappers' profession
Ravi Kumar Goud said that the toddy tapping profession is a sacred one and even in these modern days, the tappers climb the tree only after performing pooja. 'Persons even at the age of 75 climb the trees to extract the toddy. The pure toddy and Neera have medicinal value. There is no problem with the toddy in the villages and adulteration is seen more in Hyderabad. There are no trees in Hyderabad and hence there is scope for adulteration. In these circumstances, it is essential that the government take steps to curb the adulteration by taking up drives,' said Ravi Kumar. With the connivance of some of the police and excise personnel, there is a problem of adulteration, he added.
Ravi Kumar said that in the present era where all commodities are adulterated, toddy also is considered as a commercial commodity. The government should streamline the supply and should ensure this is not taken as a revenue generating product. The toddy shops were closed during YS Rajashekhara Reddy's tenure with one GO, which affected the livelihood of the toddy tappers. However, the KCR government streamlined the process by taking up regular checkups so that incidents like adulteration did not appear. He said that the BRS government brought Neera café, which had medicinal value but the present government handed it to private persons and diluted the process. 'They are creating the wrong impression only to defame the profession. Instead, the government needs to take strong steps to curb the adulteration,' said Ravi Kumar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Coimbatore Corporation to set up lounges for 108 staff and gig workers
Coimbatore Corporation has passed a special resolution to create lounges for ambulance drivers and staff attached to the 108 emergency service. The announcement was made by Mayor K. Ranganayaki, who presided over the council meeting held at Victoria Town Hall on Thursday. According to the Mayor, the facilities will be established in each of the city's five zones to ensure accessibility for personnel across different areas. Each facility will include basic amenities such as seating, drinking water, toilets, and shaded resting areas. An allocation of ₹1 crore has been made for the development of these facilities, she said. Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabakaran announced separate lounges for gig workers involved in food and e-commerce delivery services. These lounges are likely to be established on Avinashi Road and DB Road, with a feasibility study currently under way, he said. Other than the council subjects, discussions were also held on the recent Government Order (GO) regarding the hike in penalty charges for buildings constructed without approval. As per the GO, which came into effect from July this year, the penalty has been increased to ₹88 per square foot for residential buildings and ₹110 per square foot for non-residential structures, up from the earlier ₹20–₹25 per square foot. Several councillors sought a reversal of the hike and urged the Commissioner to take up the matter with higher officials. The Commissioner informed the council that the issue would be discussed with senior authorities. Ahead of the meeting, Ward 84 Councillor R. Alima Begum staged a sit-in protest demanding the removal of the ABC centre at Ukkadam. Residents from Rose Park (ward 86) also gathered at the venue, raising concerns over the lack of drainage and road facilities in their locality. A total of 58 resolutions were tabled during the meeting, all of which were passed.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business Standard
Cognizant undecided on salary hikes, plans rollout for most by year-end
Cognizant has joined a growing list of IT services companies by stating it has not yet decided on the timeline for employee salary hikes, citing continued uncertainty in the business environment. 'Given the macro environment at play and the uncertainty around it, we have not yet taken a decision on salary increase. Our endeavour is to cover a vast majority of our employees during the second half of this year as and when we decide. This decision was made with a long-term view that considers both investment in our people and the future of our business,' chief financial officer Jatin Dalal told Business Standard during an earnings conference call. The company had earlier assured, in March, that hikes would begin from August, following last year's schedule. Traditionally, Cognizant issued hikes and bonuses in March. However, since Ravi Kumar became the chief executive, bonuses have continued to be paid in March while hikes have been deferred to August. Last year, the company offered hikes ranging from 1–5 per cent. The demand environment remains volatile, and the Indian IT industry is also facing fresh headwinds following US President Donald Trump's announcement of retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday, further clouding the outlook. Hiring of freshers on track despite challenges Despite the uncertainty, Cognizant added 7,500 employees during the second quarter, bringing its total headcount to 343,800 as of June 30. The company continues to hire engineering graduates from Indian colleges. 'We have taken freshers and will continue to take them for the rest of the year. Our target is about 15,000–20,000 and we are on track to do that,' said Kumar, adding that freshers can perform more tasks with the help of artificial intelligence. Attrition at Cognizant rose to 15.2 per cent from 13.6 per cent sequentially, mirroring the upward trend observed across other major IT companies.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business Standard
Cognizant beats TCS & Infosys in revenue growth, profit rises 14% in Q2
Cognizant's net profit in the second quarter of 2026 increased 14 per cent to $645 million, driven by earnings from health sciences and financial services verticals and contributions from last year's acquisitions. The Nasdaq-listed information technology (IT) company's revenue increased 8.1 per cent to $5.25 billion in Q2, beating Bloomberg estimates of $5.19 billion. On a constant-currency basis, it was up 7.2 per cent. Both numbers were better than TCS and Infosys, the company's Indian rivals. TCS's revenue was down 3.1 per cent on constant currency and Infosys's was up 3.8 per cent. Cognizant follows a calendar year for its financial reporting. Cognizant's numbers were buoyed by two mega deals (those worth $500 million each or more) in Q2, taking the total to three in 2025 as it works to once again rank among India's top four IT services companies in three years. The company is headquartered in the US, but has a massive operational presence in India. 'It is a great quarter in a market which still remains uncertain and the macroeconomic (condition) has not changed much,' said Ravi Kumar, Cognizant's chief executive officer (CEO), on Thursday. Bolstered by better-than-expected revenue growth and large deals, the company narrowed the lower end of its guidance for 2026. Cognizant now expects to grow between 4-6 per cent on constant currency, up from 3.5-6 per cent it guided in April. For the third quarter ending September 30, growth is expected to be 3.5 per cent to 5 per cent. Cognizant said Belcan, the engineering research and development company it bought last year, accounted for about half of its quarterly revenue growth, mirroring the contribution in the previous quarter. Cognizant won 29 large deals (worth $100 million each or more) in 2024 and 17 the year before when Kumar took over as CEO. In the first six months of 2026, it has signed 10 such deals. 'All the large deals that we did last year were productivity deals,' said Kumar, referring to cost takeout and efficiency improvement deals which are the bread and butter for IT services companies but come with margins which are increasingly under pressure. 'From this year, innovation and productivity deals and innovation deals have improved. Our total contract value of large deals has doubled and our annual contract value has also grown sequentially and compared to last year. The fourth quarter usually has more renewals and that's where we think the deal ramp ups will happen.' Cognizant is following three strategies for growth: upskilling employees; scaling up innovation through platform-led growth in the artificial intelligence era; and aiming to gain an edge over competitors in GenAI. Revenue from health sciences and banking, financial services and insurance was up 5.3 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, in Q2. Revenue from products and services, including Belcan, was up about 15 per cent. North America revenue was up 8.1 per cent and Europe 4 per cent, both similar to that of other IT companies. Operating margins increased 100 basis points to 15.6 per cent. "Our increased revenue guidance midpoint and reaffirmed adjusted operating margin outlook reflect strong execution and momentum year-to-date,' said Jatin Dalal, chief financial officer of Cognizant.
