Cauvery Delta Declared as a Protected Special Agriculture Zone | 12 Feb 2020

Why in News

The Tamil Nadu government has declared the Cauvery delta region as a Protected Special Agriculture Zone.

• The protected zone includes eight districts namely Thanjavur (Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu), Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Karur and Tiruchirapalli.
• Such a declaration will prevent non-agrarian projects in the region.
  
  • The Government has emphasised that central projects on hydrocarbon exploration in the delta region cannot be implemented without No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the State government.
• The Cauvery delta region is an important agricultural region in Tamil Nadu.
  
  • It has been seen that in the last four decades, Tamil Nadu’s food dependence on the delta has fallen from 65% to 40%. Hydrocarbon wells are one of the major reasons behind the same.

Source: IE