Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Provide Adequate Compensation To The Farmers Who Lost Their Crops Due To ... on 26 August, 2010
> Title: Need to provide adequate compensation to the farmers who lost their crops due to Natural Calamity in Tamil Nadu.
SHRI S.S. RAMASUBBU (TIRUNELVELI): Mr. Chairman, Sir, I would like to raise a very important matter of urgent public importance relating to a problem faced by the farmers of our country.
Since Independence, India has borne the brunt of a large number of natural disasters like earthquake, flood, drought, tsunami and pest attacks. The Government provides compensation and other financial aid to farmers who are affected by such natural disasters. This is done to encourage them to continue to invest in agriculture and produce agricultural commodities. Still the farmers are facing nature’s fury and they are not adequately compensated. This is applicable to the whole country.
In Tamil Nadu and particularly in Tirunelveli District, Kalakadu, Valliyur, Ambasamudram, Alangulam and Nanguneri areas are fully agriculture oriented. Huge numbers of people are engaged in farming and their main cultivation is paddy, sugarcane, banana plantation, vegetables etc. On many occasions, their crops, which are sufficiently grown and are in the yielding and harvesting stage, suddenly get damaged due to powerful whirlwinds as a result of which they incur heavy losses overnight and they are not able to recover even their sowing cost. As a result, the farmers are driven to debt trap.
Though the Government is providing compensation to crop loss due to flood, drought and tsunami, the authorities are refusing to grant financial relief to farmers whose crops are affected due to whirlwind. This is also a kind of natural calamity which is beyond the control of farmers. It is difficult to predict so they are entitled to compensation for such losses. Papers relating to losses of such kinds are pending with the District Collector of Tirunelveli since long. The authorities are reluctant to release compensation to farmers as there is no specific provision under the existing rules.
In view of these circumstances, I urge upon the Government to include losses incurred to the farmers due to whirlwind and also to provide adequate compensation to them under Natural Disasters and Crop Protection Scheme and do the needful.