From Palani vendors, Paliyar of Kodaikanal to sick mills of Dindigul, this man wants many a change for the better

CPI(M) candidate Sachithanandam plans to bring many development projects to this primarily agrarian region - perfumery for Nilakottai, MSP for all farm produce, GST removal for handloom goods, originating train from Dindigul or Palani to Chennai, easy entry for poor students to Gandhigram Rural Institute - he wants many changes to transform the region

Piecing it all together: R. Sachithanantham, CPI(M) candidate for Dindigul Parliamentary constituency, has an all encompassing plan to develop the region. | Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), a constituent of the DMK-led alliance, has fielded R. Sachithanandam, 53, in Dindigul for the Lok Sabha election.

A B.Sc. graduate and Dindigul district secretary of the party since 2018, he is confident of winning the election and has plans to bring many development projects to this primarily agrarian region. 

Mr. Sachithanandam says his focus will be on seeking minimum support price (MSP) for not just grains but for any agricultural produce - be it fruits or vegetables. “Only then can a farmer go about his agricultural activities without fear of drought or pest attack or crash in prices due to overproduction,” he says. 

Dindigul used to have more than 65 units involved directly or indirectly with the spinning sector. Many families were dependent on this industry. But only a handful of them are functioning now. “Even this is a fallout of a decline in cotton farming despite the soil in this region conducive to growing cotton. Other than the MSP, the farmers should be encouraged to go in for cotton cultivation by giving them various subsidies. This coupled with a cotton procurement centre in the district with first priority being given to the local mills will not just help farmers but will throw open the sick mills and generate employment to numerous families who have been driven into poverty,” he says.

To give the right impetus for handloom weavers, subsidies can be given and GST removed for handloom products to boost sales.

A perfume factory in Nilakottai is a long-felt need, Mr. Sachithanandam goes on. “When the price of jasmine falls, farmers can get a nominal price by selling it at the perfumery which should be run by a cooperative society,” he says. 

On the recent High Court judgement on closure of shops on the girivalam path in Palani, he says it has hit the street vendors hard. “It is tantamount to violating the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. To protect their livelihood, a dedicated space should have been provided for them,” Mr. Sachithanandam says.

As for Kodaikanal, hill garlic cultivation must be taken up in a big way. If the road from Kodaikanal to Munnar is reopened, it will help growers of spices and also bring in tourists. “Paliyar, a people belonging to a hill tribe, have been wrongly brought under SC category. We will strive for bringing them back into the ST category so that they get more benefits,” he says.

In the absence of originating train from Dindigul or Palani to Chennai, people depend on the scarce accommodation in the passing through trains. As for Palani, two railway gates are closed often - one inside the town and the other on Darapuram Road - putting people to much hardship. Road overbridges are direly needed at these places.

“We will focus on opening more central-funded hostels for students coming from weaker sections , especially from the hills. Due to Common University Entrance Test, many students from rural areas are unable to get into Gandhigram Rural Institute. We will fight for abolition of this exam,” he says. The institute should be purely job-oriented and also create entrepreneurs. “We will also demand a Siddha Medical College for Palani,” Mr. Sachithanandam says.