The Tamil Nadu Government has announced a Rs 541 crore crop loss compensation to farmers who have lost more than 50 per cent in yield, announced Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in the Assembly today.
In her reply to the debate on the Governor’s address, she said the State Government will pay Rs 15,000 an acre under this package to 1.75 lakh farmers with a total crop area of 3.61 lakh acres.
Normally, a crop insurance of Rs 8,692 an acre will be provided by insurance companies only to farmers who have fully lost their crops.
The State Government will declare all the 31 districts, other than Chennai city, as drought-hit due to deficit rains. A drought memorandum will be prepared to seek a relief package from the Centre, she said.
The Chief Minister also announced a relief package of Rs 2,134.60 crore, waived the land tax for farmers, and announced that co-operative loans will be rescheduled.
The 100-day job scheme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will be hiked to 150 days.
Under this scheme, 15,000 farm tanks will be created in the Cauvery Delta districts at an estimated cost of Rs 181 crore.
Additional works will also be carried out at cost of Rs 1,336 crore to generate wages of over Rs 1,517 crore to agricultural labourers in the delta districts as part of the package.