First exclusive budget focuses on improving TN’s agriculture profile
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Inputs of farmers were taken during his visits to Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Krishnagiri and other areas, on the advice of the Chief Minister
In its first exclusive budget for the agriculture sector presented in the State Legislative Assembly, the DMK government on Saturday announced a slew of schemes to boost the agriculture profile of Tamil Nadu over the next 10 years, including schemes for judicious use of irrigation water, solar-powered pump sets and a special scheme named after former CM M. Karunanidhi for overall agricultural development and self-sufficiency in villages.
Presenting the first agriculture budget in the House incidentally on the completion of 100 days of DMK assuming office, Agriculture Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam said he dedicated the Budget to those farmers protesting in Delhi to agitate against the farm laws. He said the inputs of farmers were taken during his visits to Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Krishnagiri and other areas, on the advice of the Chief Minister.
A scheme for judicious use of irrigation water would be implemented at an outlay of ₹982.48 crore with State government fund and Union government contribution. Under this scheme, the government will identify small and marginal farmers who possess irrigation facilities and promote drip irrigation in a cluster approach to cover the increased area under cultivation and to enhance production with judicious use of water. For this purpose, it is proposed to install micro-irrigation structures in an area of 1.50 lakh hectare.
The government would implement a scheme called Kalaignarin Anaithu Grama Orunginaintha Velaan Valarchi Thittam (named after former CM M. Karunanidhi) will be implemented in a span of five years to ensure overall agricultural development and self-sufficiency in all the villages of Tamil Nadu in collaboration with several to ensure the overall development of all the villages with self-sufficiency in agriculture.
To be implemented at an outlay of ₹250 crore with State funds, it would cover over 12,000 village panchayats in the State. During 2021-22, the scheme would be implemented in 2,500 village panchayats. In line with CM’s announcement that aims to bring 11.75 lakh hectare of fallow lands into cultivation in the next 10 years, preliminary surveys have been carried out in 36 districts to implement the project and currently an area of 19.31 lakh hectare of fallow lands have been identified.
Under the Chief Minister’s Scheme of Solar Powered Pumpsets, the government would implement this scheme to address the increasing demand for electricity for well irrigation. With an outlay of ₹114.68 crore with State and Union government funds, provision of Off-Grid-Stand alone Solar Powered Pumping System, 5,000 solar pump sets up to a capacity of 10 horsepower with 70 % subsidy will be installed during 2021-22 for the benefit of farmers.
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