Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has announced that, eight districts of Cauvery Delta Region in the state will be declared a protected special agricultural zone.
He also laid the foundation stone for what is touted as Asia’s largest livestock farm at Thalaivasal village near his hometown Salem on February 9, 2020. In his address, the Chief Minister said he will talk to his legal team to bring a special law to make the Delta region a protected zone.
Facts
- Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl comprising eight districts, will be declared as ‘Protected Special Agricultural Zone’ (PSAZ). To guard the delta areas and end farmers’ ordeals, the special protection will be bestowed on Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagappattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Karur and Tiruchirappalli districts.
- The announcement is in response to the farmer concerns about hydrocarbon exploration and accorded primacy to food security.
- In 2017, the Centre signed contracts for hydrocarbon extraction from 31 areas of discovered small fields including from Neduvasal. Two years later it allowed Vedanta Limited to conduct tests for 274 hydrocarbon wells in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
- The delta, which produces 33 lakh tonnes of grains in 28 lakh acres, has seen multiple protests for a decade over methane, hydrocarbon, oil and natural gas projects, which required acquisition of fertile lands and well drilling — proposals which triggered fears of groundwater contamination.
- Agricultural scientists such as M.S. Swaminathan have for long mooted such zones similar to special economic zones; Uttarakhand and Kerala have them.
