CHENNAI: Former chief minister O Panneerselvam urged the state government to make a reassessment of crop loss in delta districts due to non-availability of water during the Kuruvai season and provide Rs 30,000 per acre to the farmers as compensation.
In a statement here, Panneerselvam said the government has said standing crops on 40,000 acres have withered. But as of date, over 2 lakh farmers seem to have been affected during the Kuruvai season. Also, the Central government has fixed Rs 17,000 per acre as compensation for crop loss for 2023-24 but CM MK Stalin announced only Rs 13,500 per hectare.
Panneerselvam also charged that the DMK government has not implemented the crop insurance scheme for the past two years. Had the government done this, the farmers would have got Rs 84,000 per hectare. He said the DMK government could not ensure water from Karnataka and started the legal process to get water belatedly. As such, farmers have been affected severely, he added.