Tamil Nadu Farmers Can Avail Up to 90% Subsidy Under Special Area Development Programme

The Tamil Nadu government is implementing the Special Area Development Programme (SADP) to promote ecological restoration, watershed development, water conservation and sustainable agriculture in selected hill and forest fringe regions across the state.

The scheme aims to improve agricultural productivity, conserve natural resources and strengthen rural livelihoods through integrated watershed management.

Under the programme, 100% financial assistance is provided for soil and water conservation works carried out on community land.

For works undertaken on individual farmland, the subsidy is provided as follows:

- 90% subsidy for Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiaries.

- 80% subsidy for Scheduled Caste (SC) beneficiaries.

- 50% subsidy for General category farmers.

The programme covers hill areas and adjoining forest villages in districts across the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats, including The Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, Dindigul, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Kanniyakumari, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Namakkal, Kallakurichi, Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Tirupathur and Tiruvannamalai.

The scheme supports the construction and renovation of check dams, gabion check dams, landslide protection structures, stream bank protection walls, irrigation facilities and water harvesting structures.

All farmers residing within the notified project areas are eligible to apply. Interested applicants can approach the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the Special Area Development Project (SADP) in their respective districts for further information and application procedures.