Farmers demand scraping of NREGP

Hit by shortage of farm labourers, a farmer's forum in Tamil Nadu has blamed the UPA government's flagship project National Rural Employement Guarantee Programme for the situation and demanded its scrapping.

The NREGP had "hampered the agricultural activities and created a grave scarcity of farm labourers", Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam Secretary V Rajamanickam told reporters here yesterday.

If the scheme was not withdrawn, the government should at least divert the labour force under the NREGP to agriculture sector to handle various farm works, he said.

Other demands of the forum included pension scheme for aged farmers, release of grants for purchase of fertilisers and pesticides and hundred per cent subsidy for drip irrigation systems.

The forum planned to send a delegation to Delhi next month to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and apprise them of their problems, he said.