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Amidst a severe drinking water crisis in Tamil Nadu, State Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday sought from the Centre a special package of ₹1,000 crore to augment irrigation structures in drought-hit areas.
Participating in the pre-Budget consultation meeting with State Finance Ministers chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, Panneerselvam requested the Centre to release funds under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.
The special package assistance would be used to augment irrigation structures in drought-prone areas to address the agrarian distress and drinking water crisis, similar to the allocation made to Maharashtra, Panneerselvam said in the speech, a copy of which was shared with the media here.
On the prevailing water crisis in Tamil Nadu, he said, while there were ‘severe drought conditions’ country-wide, its impact was significantly “more” in the State.
“The vagaries of the monsoon, climatic change, unending inter-state river water disputes and fast depleting ground water have all led to an unprecedented water crisis in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Panneerselvam said Tamil Nadu formulated a project at a cost of ₹17,600 crore for modernising the Grand Anicut Canal system and has forwarded a detailed project report to the Centre seeking financial aid.
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