Tamil Nadu to submit drought memorandum for central funds

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Friday said that 31 of the state's 32 districts would be declared as drought hit due to monsoon failure and that a "drought memorandum" would be submitted to the central government for a financial aid to the state.

Jayalalithaa also announced various schemes worth Rs.2,143.60 crore for farmers whose crops failed after Karnataka did not release water in Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta region.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks on Governor K. Rosaiah's address to the assembly, she said the schemes have been designed based on the report submitted by the high-level committee headed by state Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam.

Jayalalithaa said the government would waive the land tax in all the 31 districts, barring Chennai, and reschedule the loans taken by farmers from the cooperative banks.