Rs 8,000/acre crop loss aid won't cover even transplantation costs, slams Anbumani
In a statement, the PMK leader said the amount announced by the State government was grossly inadequate and that it had failed to cover all the affected paddy fields.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss
CHENNAI: Hitting out at the State government over Rs 8,000 per acre uniform compensation for rain-affected paddy crops, irrespective of the severity of damages in specific regions, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said that transplantation alone would cost more than Rs 10,000 per acre, after spending over Rs 30,000 per acre on input costs and labour.
In a statement, the PMK leader said the amount announced by the State government was grossly inadequate and that it had failed to cover all the affected paddy fields.
The recent heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Ditwah damaged nearly 3 lakh acres of paddy fields in the Cauvery delta alone, but only a part of it has been covered under the government's announcement, Anbumani said.
"The government has assessed crop loss across the State at only 2.11 lakh acres, and announced a uniform compensation of Rs 8,000 per acre. The October downpour itself damaged crops on 2 lakh, but compensation is yet to be announced," he said.
He stressed that seed procurement, nursery preparation, and transplantation alone cost nearly Rs 10,000 per acre. Total cultivation expenditure for samba and thaladi in the Cauvery Delta is about Rs 40,000 per acre. Expected revenues are estimated at Rs 65,000 per acre, he pointed out.
Citing a past Madras High Court ruling directing Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) to pay Rs 40,000 per acre for crop destruction, Anbumani demanded that the state adopt the same yardstick and provide Rs 40,000 per acre to all affected farmers.
In another statement, Anbumani has condemned the DMK government after an RTI response revealed that 65 per cent of teaching posts at Madras University remain vacant. Out of 515 sanctioned posts, only 180 are filled, leaving several departments with just one or two teachers and forcing daily class cancellations, he said.
He blamed the crisis on the government's failure to appoint a Vice Chancellor for over two years and inadequate financial support, leading to delays in issuing marksheets and the inability to pay pensions.