The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Enumeration deadline set for ryots' scheme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 15, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Enumeration deadline set for ryots' scheme

T. Ramakrishnan

Village-level committees will prepare the lists by September 10

CHENNAI: The Government has ordered that enumeration of beneficiaries under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Labourers-Farmers (Social Security and Welfare) Scheme be completed by September 10.

The scheme, which envisages a comprehensive social safety net, is meant for agricultural labourers, farmers owning up to 2.50 acres of wetland or 5 acres of dry land and registered cultivating tenants having the same landholding and engaging in direct cultivation.

A government order issued by the Revenue department last week said that village-level committees comprising village administrative officers, school headmasters and "makkal nala paniyalargal" (community workers) would prepare the lists of persons eligible to become members of the scheme. The lists would prepared for every fair price shop. Tahsildars/revenue divisional officers, to whom the lists would be submitted by village panels, would verify them before sending them to ELCOT (Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu) by September 20. On the basis of the lists obtained from Tahsildars/RDOs, the ELCOT would print identity cards for members. This exercise should be completed by November 5.

In pursuant of the order, a circular has been issued to District Collectors on the formation of the committees and the commencement of the preparatory work.

Rival claims

The Government Order assumes relevance in the wake of claims made last month between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government and the principal opposition party, All India Anna Dravida Munentra Kazhagam. While the AIADMK complained that the Farmers' Security Programme, launched while it was in power, had been diluted, the Government denied it and said all welfare measures, initiated for small and marginal farmers and agricultural workers, would be continued. The AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa contended that the Government had not fixed any timeframe for a survey on agricultural workers and small and marginal farmers.

Late last month, the Government introduced a Bill in the Assembly to revive the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Labourers Welfare Board, established by the DMK regime in 2000 and superseded by the successive AIADMK government.

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