Chennai: Terming the Supreme Court directive to Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs of water as "some relief", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced a Rs 70-crore relief package to farmers in order to save the standing 'samba' crops.
Soon after the apex court decision, she chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the measures to provide succour to the farmers and save the crops.
She said the 12-hour power supply given to farmers at present would be extended till February to enable farmers use ground water facilities for irrigation.
Jayalalithaa said a relief of up to Rs 13,692 per acre would be given from the State Disaster Management Fund and insurance schemes to those farmers who incurred crop loss.
A sum of Rs 600 per acre would be given to farmers as subsidy, who use nearly 32,000 diesel pump sets.
Provision of multi-purpose boom sprayer, MOP fertilisers and 500 mini-portable sprinklers are some of the other measures taken by the state government to help farmers in the delta region.
Efforts would also be made to provide employments to those farmers who have lost their jobs due to drought situation under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, she said.
"The state government would spend Rs 69.88 crore on account of all these measures and this would be over and above the relief provided by it", she said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2012, 22:36