Agriculture Minister S. Damodaran recently inaugurated a solar power generation unit at Thalakarai, near Pollachi. According to a release from the district administration, the Thalakarai Panchayat Union had spent Rs. 19.05 lakh to erect the solar power panels. The panchayat union had commissioned the unit in keeping with the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s decision to tap solar power.
Taking a cue from her decision, the Agriculture Department had distributed 2,000 solar energy powered motors to as many farmers at Rs. 5 lakh a motor. The Department also extended 80 per cent subsidy to the farmers.
The Minister also declared open the upgraded veterinary centre at Nallikavundanpalayam, which the Animal Husbandry Department had built at Rs. 26.6 lakh, inaugurated a foot and mouth disease prevention vaccination camp and a hay centre.
The release said that the veterinary centre would also get a compound wall, for which the Pollachi Member of Parliament had sanctioned Rs. 10 lakh from his Local Area Development fund.
The new hay distribution centre was one among the 125 opened in the state to provide hay to cattle rearing farmers to provide fodder during summer. The Government had opened the centres at Rs. 10 lakh a centre. Thus far, 9,963 farmers rearing cattle had benefitted by buying hay at subsidised prices at the centres.
M.K. Muthukarupannasamy, MLA and Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Muthugopalakrishn participated.
