Tamil Nadu CM slams Centre over rejection of plea on paddy moisture norms
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday slammed the BJP-led Union government for rejecting the state's request to relax moisture norms for paddy procurement and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene to protect the state's farmers.
In a social media post, Stalin said the Centre had turned down Tamil Nadu's plea to allow procurement of paddy with a higher moisture content in view of heavy northeast monsoon rains in the Cauvery delta and other districts.
Only on Wednesday did the Prime Minister attend a farmers meet in Coimbatore, after the Centre had denied a Metro rail project for the western city, besides Madurai.
"Even before the dampness of his visit has dried, the union BJP government has rejected our request for relaxation of moisture norms in paddy procurement," the CM said.
According to him, the state has been pressing the Centre to raise the permissible moisture level in paddy from the existing 17 per cent to 22 per cent for the current Kharif Marketing Season, arguing that continuous rains and high humidity made it difficult for farmers to fully dry their harvest.
Stalin pointed out that Tamil Nadu has recorded a bumper paddy harvest this season and that any refusal to ease norms would severely affect farmers who are already battling adverse weather conditions.
He recalled that based on the state's representations in the past, the Centre had granted relaxations in moisture norms for paddy procurement, and questioned why a similar concession was now being denied.
"Why is Tamil Nadu's plea to allow procurement of paddy with higher moisture content not reaching the prime minister's ears; why is the anguished voice of farmers going unheard," he asked, alleging that the decision betrayed a lack of concern for the farming community.
Stalin said farmers whose crops had suffered due to unseasonal rains were neither being given adequate compensation nor being allowed the small relief of a higher moisture limit in procurement, and he wondered how such an approach could be called farmer-friendly.
Reiterating his demand, the DMK leader urged the Union government to immediately reconsider its stand on moisture norms, accept Tamil Nadu's proposals in full and announce a decision that would reassure farmers and people across the state.
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Man thrown 50 ft into air as powerful storm lashes UP's Bareilly
Bareilly (PTI): In a shocking incident, a man was flung nearly 50 ft into the air along with a tin roof and thrown into a field during a powerful storm in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, where the adverse weather claimed at least four lives.
The man in the video, Nanhe Mian of Bamiyana village, suffered multiple injuries in the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
In a video of the incident doing the rounds on social media, the man is seen being launched into the air while he is holding onto the tin roof. He then lets go, does a somersault in the air and lands in the adjacent field.
Initially, some social media users expressed disbelief over the video and suspected that it was generated using artificial intelligence. But for Nanhe, an e-rickshaw driver, it is all too real.
Nanhe, around 50 years old, said on Thursday that he had gone to a wedding hall to collect some items when the storm intensified.
"The wind was so strong that the tin shed started making loud noises. I thought if I did not hold onto it, it would be blown away in the storm. So, I immediately grabbed a rope tied to the shed," he said.
"Then a very strong gust came and lifted both the shed and me into the air. I was carried nearly 50 ft into the air before the storm weakened and I fell to the ground," he said.
Nanhe, who lives with his wife and their five children, said he suffered injuries on his head, back, arms and legs. These include a fractured arm and leg.
Bareilly Police said in a statement that Nahne was standing inside the wedding hall in Bamiyana when strong winds and rain tore the tin roof of the structure.
According to the Uttar Pradesh government, at least 89 people were killed and around 50 injured in storm and rain-related incidents across the state on Wednesday.
Several animals were also killed and houses and shops were damaged in many places.
In Bareilly, four people were killed between 8.30 am and 11.30 pm on Wednesday, nine animals perished and around 30 houses suffered heavy damage, officials said.
Meet Nanhe Miyan of Bareilly, UP.
— Treeni (@treeni) May 13, 2026
During a severe storm at a wedding venue, he was lifted into the air along with a tin shed he was holding onto.
He flew high before crashing to the ground, breaking both arms and legs. Now hospitalised.pic.twitter.com/D616Z5X23L
