TN to foot central agency's ₹143 cr due to paddy farmers

FOLLOWING the protests by farmers over delayed payments and the suspension of paddy procurement in eight non-delta districts during the peak of cultivation by the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF), functioning under the union government's Department of Consumer Affairs, the state government has directed the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) to disburse the pending Rs 143 crore directly to the affected farmers.

- B ANBUSELVAN @Chennai

The amount will later be recovered from the NCCF.

A total of ₹143 crore will be disbursed to around 5,000 farmers within the next seven to 10 days, officials said. NCCF had procured paddy from these farmers in the eight districts — Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, Vellore, Ranipet, Villupuram and Thiruvallur — outside the Cauvery irrigation region.

Tamil Nadu's decision to disburse the amount has followed a recent request from the union government, urging the state's intervention to resolve the issue.