CHENNAI: Members of the Tamil Nadu River and Tank Irrigation Farmers Association staged a protest near Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore, Chennai, on Thursday, demanding immediate government action on crop damage compensation, agricultural budget implementation, and policy reforms.
The protesters, including farmers and their family members, raised slogans, urging Chief Minister MK Stalin to provide relief for crops such as maize, banana and small onions that were severely damaged due to recent summer rains.
They also pressed for the implementation of schemes announced in the agricultural budget, loan waivers for distressed farmers, and a rollback of the proposed installation of digital electricity meters.
Vishwanathan, President of the Tamil Nadu River and Tank Irrigation Farmers Association, expressed the protesters' grievances, stating, “Today, we are holding this half-nude protest to highlight our demands. The Tamil Nadu government announced an agricultural budget but has not released funds for the schemes. We demand that the government ensure the budget is implemented and funds are released by June end.”
The farmers also opposed the State's plan to install smart meters, fearing it would threaten the free electricity scheme for agriculture. “The Union government's new electricity law should not be implemented in Tamil Nadu. The State must drop the idea of fixing smart meters,” Vishwanathan added.
Another major demand was compensation for crops damaged in the recent rains. “Corn, banana, and small onion cultivations have been severely affected. We demand the government intervene with insurance companies to ensure farmers receive fair compensation,” he said.
The protestors also highlighted their long-pending demand for a minimum support price (MSP) guarantee. "We have been protesting continuously to fix the minimum rate for crops, but it has not been implemented yet. The union government must announce this soon,” Vishwanathan stressed.