Chennai: A PIL has been filed in Madras High Court seeking to direct Collectors of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts to file a status report on reported farmer suicides in these regions and to issue 300 grams of rice per head and per day to farmers in the areas immediately.
`Elephant` G Rajendran, in his PIL, cited recent media reports on farmer suicides in the three Cauvery delta districts, allegedly due to failure of crops for want of water.
He also prayed for High Court`s direction to authorities to pay a minimum of Rs 20 lakh and a government job to family of those who committed suicide, the government to pay Rs 25000 per acre to farmers and to distribute 300 grams of rice per head per day free of cost for six months to farmers in these three districts.
When the matter came up, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam, said, "before entertaining this PIL, we wish to hear the Advocate General in this matter."
The bench posted the matter for the first week of January.
PTI
