The Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to the Communist Party of India, has urged the State government to implement special initiatives to support samba paddy cultivation this year.“As income from the kuruvai season has been lost, there is a need to protect the samba crop. The government should initiate steps to support the cultivation, right from its commencement to harvest,” a resolution adopted at the association’s State committee meeting held here on Tuesday.Samba and thaladi paddy has to be raised on 16 lakh acres and farmers cannot afford to lose the crop too. Hence the State government should take steps to get Tamil Nadu’s quota of Cauvery water due from Karnataka by launching a legal battle. From November 15, 16,000 cusecs of water should be released in the Cauvery from Mettur Reservoir, and water should be distributed from Kallanai on a turn system. The Water Resources Department should deploy laskars to monitor and ensure that the water reached the tail-end areas.The government should supply seeds of short and medium paddy varieties and inputs, including fertilizers, at 50% subsidy. Fifty per cent subsidy should be given for machine planting. Funds should be allocated immediately for all the initiatives and farmers should be given necessary advice and technological support through the season. The crop insurance scheme should be implemented by the government and not by private companies.Further, the government must withdraw the Bill introduced in the Assembly to amend the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, seeking to dispense with the requirement of obtaining prior concurrence of District Collectors for the development of wetlands in non-planning areas and to empower the Director to grant prior permission to the local authority in respect of such wetlands. The Bill, if adopted, would ruin agriculture in the name of urban development, another resolution said.The meeting was attended S.Gunasekaran, State president, and P.S.Masilamani, State general secretary, and other office bearers of the association. Published - September 08, 2026 05:03 pm IST