Tamil Nadu Farmers Seek Life Insurance and Rs 25,000 Monthly Pension in Union Budget
Tamil Nadu farmers are seeking stronger financial security through a proposed life insurance scheme. They have also demanded a guaranteed monthly pension of ₹25,000 from the Centre.
Tamil Nadu farmers have urged the Centre to introduce life insurance coverage and a monthly pension of ₹25,000. The demands are part of their expectations from the upcoming Union Budget.
NEW DELHI, Tamil Nadu Farmers: Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association has asked the Union government to launch a dedicated life insurance scheme for farmers and agricultural labourers, citing the risks they face on the job. In a representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the association also sought a monthly pension of Rs 25,000 for farm workers above 58 and a separate agriculture budget at the Centre.
Tamil Nadu Farmers: Why Farmers Need Life Insurance Cover
Association secretary Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan said people who work the land are exposed to constant danger. Extreme weather, wild animal attacks and snake bites can cause death or permanent disability. Lightning strikes, electric shocks and accidents involving farm machinery add to the toll.
He proposed a scheme called the Prime Minister’s Farmers’ Life Insurance Scheme, modelled on the lines of a health insurance programme, to protect those left permanently disabled. He asked the Centre to announce it in the upcoming Union Budget and to fund it through disaster management agencies or the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. He also wants one member of each victim’s family to get a government job matching their qualifications, so the household is not left without income.
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Tamil Nadu Farmers: Rs 25,000 Monthly Pension for Farmers Above 58
The association also pressed for a pension scheme with enough funding to pay Rs 25,000 a month to farmers and farm labourers above 58. Vimalnathan said farmers kept producing food even during the COVID-19 lockdown and helped the country avoid shortages. They spend their lives working through scorching heat, cold and heavy rain, he said, and deserve financial support in old age.
At present, small and marginal farmers can enrol in the Centre’s voluntary Kisan Maandhan pension scheme. It pays Rs 3,000 a month after the age of 60, in return for monthly contributions of Rs 55 to Rs 200 that the government matches. The scheme has drawn criticism for low enrolment. The association’s demand is far larger and would also cover farm labourers, who depend on seasonal work and often have no savings or social security.
Tamil Nadu Farmers: Call for a Separate Agriculture Budget
Vimalnathan repeated his demand for a separate agriculture budget at the Centre. He said agriculture should get priority in financial allocation on a par with defence, arguing that food security is as vital to the country as border security. He also asked the Union Finance Ministry to invite farmer representatives from Tamil Nadu to its pre-budget consultations, so that the concerns of the Cauvery delta region are heard before allocations are finalised.
The association has made similar demands in earlier budget seasons, including a separate farm budget and a pension for elderly farmers. Whether the Centre takes up the insurance and pension proposals will become clear only when the Union Budget is presented.
