CHENNAI: Mayiladuthurai district is now part of the Protected Agricultural Zone. The state Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill to amend the TN Protected Agricultural Zone Development Act, 2020 for this purpose.
The bill also provides for including ‘animal husbandry and inland fishery’ within the ambit of the term ‘Agriculture’. Besides, the water resources minister and food minister, water resources secretary, and food secretary have been included as members of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Zone Development Authority.
The decision to include Mayiladuthurai district in the Protected Agricultural Zone was taken at the first meeting of the authority chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin on May 12, 2022. The previous AIADMK regime, in February 2020, had formed the Protected Agricultural Zone by including Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Nagapattinam, certain blocks of Cuddalore and Pudukottai districts.
Welcoming the decision, Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader T Velmurugan said the government should come forward to include the entire Cuddalore district as part of the zone. M Sinthanai Chelvan of Congress too welcomed the move and said originally, Kattumannarkovil taluk was under the zone. After this taluk was bifurcated, the Srimushnam area was not covered under the zone.
10 bills passed
On the concluding day of the short-duration winter session of the state Assembly, 10 bills were passed. When Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill came up for consideration, Velmurugan welcomed it but proposed an amendment to be made in future. He said the private universities have refused to admit students on a merit basis despite receiving huge funds from the state government. The government should bring in an amendment in future to check this trend.