TIRUVARUR: Alleging that officials force farmers to present identity cards for various benefits, including procuring subsidised fertilisers, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam staged a protest in Tiruvarur on Wednesday.

The members, led by the state general secretary, Sami Natarajan, converged in front of the Tiruvarur district collectorate and staged a protest against the state government, alleging harassment by agriculture department officials. The protestors highlighted the hurdles they face during the process of insuring their crops, as officials mandate identity cards.

Pointing out that farmers who applied for identity cards provided by the union government have been waiting for several months, the farmers said the deadline to apply for crop insurance would end soon.

The protesting members demanded that the Tamil Nadu government issue explicit directives to agricultural officials, instructing them to immediately stop forcing farmers to produce specialised identity cards.

Instead, the association urged that farmers should be permitted to use their Aadhaar card as a standardised, universally accessible document to claim all agricultural benefits and subsidised fertilisers. They raised slogans against the government, highlighting how their livelihood has been hit.