Tamil Nadu: PMK chief talks about doubling farmer's income, protection of their rights

On Tuesday, Pattali Makkal Katchi's (PMK) S Ramadoss on Tuesday stated that in order to double farmers' income, agriculture needed to grow at a rate of 6 per cent. Addressing a press conference in Chennai PMK leader S Ramadoss said that the agriculture budget that the party has released proves that they were working towards the development and upliftment of the farmers.

He also elaborated upon the memorandums given to their ally AIADMK regarding the disputed Cauvery Delta region. The PMK founder also spoke about the need to release a toll-free movement for farmers who carry their crops from one place to another. 

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"We have released our agriculture shadow budget for the 13th year today. We started it from 2008-9. This shows the PMK is working towards a development agenda. Recently Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami announced the Cauvery delta region as a safe region for agriculture."

"When we got an alliance with the AIADMK, we gave 10 memorandums in which safeguarding the delta region was one," said S Ramadoss. 

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PMK chief 'welcomes' protection of Cauvery delta

Regarding the Cauvery delta region, Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday had announced that eight Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu including the rice bowl, Thanjavur, will be categorised as a special protected agricultural zone. Here no permission will not be given for hydrocarbon projects. 

Welcoming the announcement as a "victory," PMK chief S Ramadoss said the decision would prevent desertification of the Cauvery districts and recalled that it was his party which had first voiced the demand and continued to press the plea all along. Declaring Cauvery delta region as a protected farm zone was the primary demand when PMK aligned with the AIADMK for last year's parliamentary polls, he said.

(With Agency Inputs) 

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