The government’s policy is to implement development projects that had public consent and not implement projects that are detrimental to people’s welfare, said Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare M.R.K. Paneerselvam here on Thursday. Mr. Paneerselvam was responding to a query on the objections raised by the farmers to the GAIL’s KKBMPL pipelines being laid under farmlands, on the sidelines of a public hearing with the farmers over the separate agriculture budget.
Earlier, speaking at the meeting, Mr. Paneerselvam said, a separate agriculture budget was an election promise made by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. In preparation of an agriculture budget, the government was seeking out information from the farmers on their needs and demands.
A range of demands including strengthening of farmer producer companies, increasing the number of pulp factories, setting up of a horticulture university, coconut procurement centre, horticulture development and marketing, enabling labour from MNREGS for farm work, remunerative prices for farm produce, increasing subsidy for horticulture and agriculture equipment, and increasing the subsidy for seeds were placed before the Minister.
When asked about the proposed allocation for agriculture, Mr. Paneerselvam said, there was a plan to meet the demands but cut down expenditure, because of the deficit of the past.
The public hearing with the farmers in Krishnagiri is the fourth in the series of meetings held in various zones starting from Thanjavur, Tiruchi, followed by the meeting in Coimbatore. The meeting in Krishnagiri witnessed farmers of Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Thirupathur participating and placing on record their demands and expectations from the government.
