The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Tsunami-hit farmers paid insurance amount

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Friday, Sep 09, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tsunami-hit farmers paid insurance amount

Special Correspondent

Chief Minister distributes cheques amounting to Rs. 3.22 lakhs to 15 farmers

CHENNAI: Six hundred and eighty tsunami-hit farmers in Cuddalore and Napattinam districts have been paid the insured amount of Rs. 1.16 crores.

After the natural disaster struck coastal districts, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had taken steps for providing exemption from the rules to affected farmers, who were covered under the national agricultural insurance scheme, for paying the compensation.

At Secretariat on Thursday, Ms. Jayalalithaa, disbursed cheques amounting to Rs. 3.22 lakhs to 15 farmers, according to a press release issued by the State Government.

``This is the first time in the country that such an exemption has been made under the scheme,'' the release said.

Loss-based compensation

C. Anbarasu, regional manager of the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited, said normally, the compensation would be paid on the basis of loss in yield suffered by farmers. But, in this case, it was concluded that the farmers had suffered 100 per cent loss.

``Our Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Subaras Bhandari, had taken up the matter with the Centre and secured the clearance,'' he said.

A field-to-field survey was carried out before disbursement.

The official release said of the compensation (Rs. 1,16,10,000), Rs. 27.99 lakhs were for 124 farmers who raised paddy and Rs. 13.71 lakhs for 57 who raised groundnuts, all belonging to the Cuddalore district. As regards Nagapattinam, Rs. 74.40 lakhs were meant for 499 farmers who raised paddy.

Agriculture Minister K. Pandurangan and Agriculture Secretary Leena Nair were among those present when the Chief Minister gave away the cheques to the farmers.

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