Farmers’ association pleads for suspension of job scheme in delta to overcome labour shortage for paddy cultivation

The Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Association has pleaded that the execution of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (100-day-job scheme) be suspended for a short period in Delta region to ensure smooth completion of “samba and thaladi” cultivation and weeding operations on time.

In a letter to the State government, association secretary Sundara Vimalathan said that delta farmers faced shortage of hands to carry out ‘samba/thaladi’ cultivation and as well as weeding operations as almost all farmers preferred to cultivate the ‘samba/thaladi’ crop this season in view of the meteorological predictions and the good storage at the Stanley Reservoir.

Stating that even the outsourcing of farmhands from other States had not fulfilled the requirements of the Delta farmers, he sought the suspension of the 100-days-work scheme for a short period so that the local farmhands would be available for cultivation works.