Latest news with #Rampandian
The Hindu
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Farmers oppose takeover of land belonging to agricultural research centre near Aruppukottai
A farmers' federation has expressed shock over the contradictory policies of the State Government in bringing arid land in 2,482 villages into farming activity even as it was trying to acquire fertile land of the Regional Agricultural Research Centre at Kovilankulam. In a statement, Virudhunagar district functionaries of Cauvery Vaigai Kiruthumal Gundar Farmers' Federation, said the State Government should not weaken agricultural research in the name of industrial development. The Tamil Nadu Government in its first-ever budget on agriculture in 2021 had announced that 11.75 lakh ha of arid land should be brought into farming activities in the next 10 years as part of efforts to increase farming coverage. In 2024-25, the Government planned to retrieve arid land in 2,482 villages under Kalaignar All Villages Integrated Agriculture Development programme. 'However, contradicting such a programme with a long-term vision, 129 acres of invaluable land of the research centre in Kovilankulam has been proposed to be taken up for establishing industrial estate,' federation's Virudhunagar district president R. Rampandian and secretary Gopalakrishnan, said. The land in the research centre was being used for development of rain-fed crops like millets, pulses, cotton, horticultural crops and for rain-fed farming methodologies. The centre was supplying around 50 tonnnes of certified seeds to the region covering the 10 southern districts. Besides, the centre was biodiversity home for native breeds of animals, deer, peacocks and several varieties of trees. The farmers wondered why the Government was after this parcel of land for industrial development while 30 lakh hectares of arid land were available in the State. With climatic changes forcing uncertainty on the farmers, the State Government should not reduce but strengthen its support for farmers of rain-fed regions. 'We are in a state of compulsion of protecting the existing agricultural research and also expanding it,' The State Government should give up its proposal which will break the faith of farmers and agricultural scientists, the statement said.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Residents of Palayampatti protest against denial of jobs under MGNREGS
Residents of several areas under Palayampatti panchayat staged a protest here against denial of job under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) on Thursday. The protest was organised by Cauvery Vaigai Kiruthumal Gundar Irrigation Farmers' Federation. Its Virudhunagar district president, Rampandian, said that the State Government had announced annexure of parts of Palayampatti panchayat with Arupukottai municipality. However, after the promise made by the Revenue Minister, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, that the merger with urban local body would not be done, the people of those areas gave up their protests. In the meantime, the job under MGNREGS has been denied to the areas in Palayampatti panchayat proposed for merger with Aruppukottai municipality. 'The Aruppukottai Panchayat officials claimed that the district administration has given oral instruction not to give jobs under the scheme to the people of those areas. The officials of the union have been warned of recovering the wages under the scheme to be given to the people in the event of merger of those areas with the municipality is announced,' Mr. Rampandian said. He added that the people of these rural areas were in burdened with additional expenditure as their wards have to go back to school after reopening.
