Why it is in news?

• Toddy is a very mild alcoholic beverage full of vitamins and used in traditional dishes, the Kerala government told the Supreme Court.
• A Bench of SC  is considering whether toddy can be considered as liquor and shops selling the beverage would be included in the nationwide ban on sale of alcohol within 500 metres of National and State Highways.
• The Supreme Court asked the State government to file an affidavit within two weeks about the possibility of shifting toddy and liquor shops from the vicinity of highways running through the southern State

What KERALA govt told?

• SC ban on liquor shops along highways was meant to curb drunken driving alone.
• Extending the ban to the toddy sector would rob thousands in the State of their traditional occupation.
• So far, the SC ban had claimed the livelihood of 3,078 toddy tappers and closed down 520 toddy shops in the State.
• There was no empirical evidence to show that road deaths had been caused after consuming toddy.

THE HINDU