The Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned a sum of ₹181 crore to provide input subsidy relief assistance to benefit over 1.87 lakh farmers in six southern districts that were recently declared as having witnessed agriculture drought of moderate nature.
Based on the approval of the State Executive Committee, the sum was sanctioned by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department under the State Disaster Response Fund to provide the input subsidy relief assistance to farmers in 25 blocks in these six districts, official sources said.
The extent of the agricultural drought of moderate nature (where crop loss was more than 33%) was high in Ramanathapuram district, where 98,354 hectare and over 1.34 lakh farmers were affected. Sivaganga (19,082 hectare), Tenkasi (18,677), Pudukkottai (4,908), Virudhunagar (1,776) and Thoothukudi (32) were the other districts.
The State government had last month notified “agricultural drought of moderate nature” resulting in withering of crops and 33% and above crop loss due to insufficient rainfall during the Northeast monsoon between October 1 and December 31 last year.
