The farmers, applying charcoal on their faces condemning the delay in disbursement of the insurance claims, gathered in front of the Combined Agriculture Extension Centre in Mela Thirupoonthuruthi near Tiruvaiyaru and said that the claims under Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme should be disbursed within 60 days of harvest, but the Delta farmers had not received the claims for the insurance in 2019 even after 200 days.

“The claims should be disbursed with the due interest for the amount and the list of beneficiaries should be published in the website which would ensure transparency,” said Thirupoonthuruthi P Sukumaran who led the protest.

The farmers said that those who undertook samba and thaladi in 2020 had not received the insurance claims so far. “Since, more than 3 lakh farmers have been waiting for insurance claims in the Delta districts, they are hesitating to take up samba cultivation even after the Cauvery received excess water,” claimed Sukumaran. They also raised slogans in support of their demand.