The whole of Tamil Nadu will be declared drought-hit following the failure of the monsoon, said the State government, while announcing a drought relief package.

The North-East monsoon has been deficient across the State and every district is drought-affected, said an official press release. The government has waived land tax for farmers; rescheduled ₹3,028 crore in crop loans as medium-term loans; and it will seek the Centre’s financial assistance for drought relief, the release said.

Farmers who have lost more than 33 per cent of crop yield will be eligible for relief. The compensation for paddy and other irrigated crops is ₹5,465 an acre; ₹3,000 for rain-fed (Manavari) crops; ₹7,287 crore for long-term; and ₹3,000 for mulberry.

In addition, to claim crop insurance, crop cutting experiments will be conducted to estimate the level of losses in each area. The State government has paid over ₹410 crore as its share of insurance premium.

Paddy farmers who have lost their entire crop will be eligible for a compensation of ₹21,500-26,000 an acre. The insurance relief will be in proportion to the loss in yield.

In the Delta districts, the compensation will be ₹25,000/acre for total loss of yield; farmers who have lost one-third of the yield will get ₹8,250; if the loss is 60 per cent, the compensation will be ₹15,000; if it is 80 per cent then the compensation will be ₹20,000.

Maize crops are eligible up to a maximum of ₹20,000 an acre; pulses ₹12,000; sugarcane, ₹45,000; and turmeric ₹50,000.

MGNREGA sop

For landless labourers, the rural employment guarantee scheme will be extended to 150 days instead of the usual 100 days. Over ₹3,400 crore will be allocated for works such as desilting and refurbishment of canals and tanks to generate jobs for landless labourers.

The government has also allocated ₹78 crore for green fodder and animal feed for dairy cattle and livestock; ₹160 crore for drinking water augmentation in urban centres and towns; ₹350 crore for drinking water infrastructure in rural areas; ₹5 crore for water and feed supply for wild animals in forest areas; ₹25 crore for public works to upgrade ground water recharge infrastructure; and ₹ 3 lakh each to the families of 17 farmers who committed suicide over the last two months.

According to official estimates, the normal rainfall from October to December — the North-East Monsoon — is 440 mm. However, in the last season, it was down to 168 mm. The average drop in the N-E monsoon across the State is around 65 per cent.

Of the 12.86 lakh acres of paddy crop in the Delta districts, nearly 11 lakh acres have been insured.

According to the production programme for 2016-17, Tamil Nadu had pegged the paddy crop at 20 lakh hectares; sugarcane at 3.25 lakh ha; oilseeds at 6.20 lakh ha; and pulses at 11 lakh hectares.

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