Tamil Nadu

Centre urged to include Thanjavur, Tiruvannamalai in food security scheme

CHENNAI: The Government has written to the Centre to include Thanjavur and Tiruvannamalai districts under the National Food Security Mission-Rice in addition to the existing districts viz Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Pudukottai.

The Centrally sponsored scheme, launched recently, is aimed at increasing production and productivity of wheat, rice and pulses on a sustainable basis to ensure food security.

With 2002-03 as the base year, the Centre selected five districts in the State for implementing the scheme for rice based on the last five years’ average of productivity and area coverage. The main criteria are that the productivity in these districts should be less than the State productivity and the coverage more than 50,000 hectares.

Tamil Nadu, in its letter, pointed out that the Centre should take last seven years’ average as against the present five years as there were droughts in the State in subsequent years after 2002-03. Moreover, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts had limited scope for improving rice productivity as they were rain-fed districts. If the Centre took seven years’ average, then Thanjavur and Tiruvannamalai districts would become eligible to be included in the mission, where there was scope for improving the productivity. The State has also prepared a Rs.700-crore proposal for this programme.

The Centre released Rs.9 crore as first instalment for the current year for making ground preparations.

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