The acute shortage of agricultural workers has badly hit the farm activities in the district.
This was mainly due to the drafting of the workforce for the government works executed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), alleged a cross-section of the farmers at the farmers’ grievances day meeting here on Friday.
They demanded the government to implement the MNREGS only when there are no jobs for the farm workers.
It was Senthilkumar of Akkaraiyanur, who raised the issue, when he said that farmers were not getting workers for the regular agricultural activities as they give priority for the works undertaken under the MNREGS.
The farmers have to run from pillar to post for getting the work force in spite of providing the hiked wages. Due to this trend, the farmers are forced to pay higher wages.
This trend will badly hit the farm activities in the future, he warned.
He also pleaded with the authorities to postpone all the MNREGS works in the district for the next six months till Pongal. He was supported by a host of farmers.
Krishnamoorthy of Thumbal opposed the plea of Senthilkumar and said that the Centre introduced MNREGS to help the hapless farm workers, who remain jobless for months together.
Any move to disrupt the MNREGS works will badly hit the poor workforce of the district, he said.
K. Kavitha, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), said that more than one lakh workers were involved in the MNREGS works daily in the district in the months from April to June.
Guidelines
As a majority of them had completed their quota of 100 days work as per the government guidelines, the strength of the workers for the MNREGS works had come down drastically now. A large number of work force remain unemployed at present. Mr. Senthilkumar also drew the attention of the TANGEDCO authorities about the non-provision of power connection to the farmers under the free power supply scheme.
Some of the farmers are waiting for about 15 years for getting power connection despite fulfilling all eligibility norms, he said.
The Superintending Engineer, TANGEDCO, said that the government sanctioned 40,000 new power connections under the free power supply scheme every year. This year, it has been proposed to give power connection to 796 farmers in Salem district.
K. Balachandran of Kottavadi complained about the non-provision of compensation for agricultural lands that fall on the path of the power grid.
The power transmission lines passed through the lands of about 200 farmers and affected trees on agricultural lands that fall along the way.
Only about 20 farmers have been compensated, while as many as 180 have not received any compensation so far.
He came down heavily against the Power Grid Corporation authorities for giving lame excuses. The Collector directed the formation of a committee under the Superintending Engineer, TANGEDCO to solve this issue.
A section of the farmers complained that the primary agricultural cooperative banks at the time of sanctioning loans deduct a certain amount for crop insurance. But no compensation is provided to the farmers who suffer crop loss due to various reasons.
They also complained that the societies refuse to issue receipt for the sum deducted for insurance.
