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Welfare society for landless ryots, farm labourers formed

Special Correspondent

Special programmes to ameliorate their lot

Puducherry: Industries and Agriculture Minister of Puducherry V. Vaithilingam said that the administration had evolved several pilot projects to address the grievances of landless farmers and farm labourers in the Union Territory.

Addressing presspersons at the District Industries Centre (DIC) here recently, he said that a society for welfare of landless farmers and farm labourers had been formed. Aged farmers and farm labourers would be extended monthly assistance, and special programmes to ameliorate their economic condition would be implemented. He said that exact number of landless farmers and farm labourers (owning less than an acre of land) would be known at the end of ongoing enumeration. Mr. Vaithilingam said that the administration would also provide subsidy to the extent of 66 per cent of the total cost of bore wells by farmers.

No difference would be shown on the extent of landholdings of these farmers. The maximum amount under the subsidy would not however exceed Rs.1.25 lakh.

The Government had also come forward to provide a maximum subsidy of Rs. 40,000 to each farmer to replace the motor pumps or other accessories which went out of order.

The Minister said there was a plan to train young farmers, in collaboration with the Tamilnadu Agriculture University Coimbatore, on hi tech-farming activities.

This would be beneficial to lure more people into agricultural sector and enhance production.

On recent stand taken by the Centre and also by the AICC at its Nainital meeting that no fertile and productive land should be acquired for Special Economic Zone, he said that there was a wider consensus on the matter. However, if farmers voluntarily came forward and made the sites available it would be considered for projects. He said that the administration was keen about promoting sugarcane farming although farm sector was replete with several challenges. "We are celebrating current year as Year of Agriculture. Farming activities should never suffer any setback," he said.

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