Puducherry, Aug 30 (IANS): Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy on Monday said that government was committed to the cause of the farmers.

Responding to the questions posed by opposition DMK and independent members in the Assembly regarding the plight of the farmers of the Union Territory, he said that he was aware of the woes of the farmers, particularly of the damage to crops during the rains and squally weather.

The DMK members and the independent member called upon the government to expedite the crop insurance scheme for the farmers.

Agriculture Minister C. Djeacour informed the members that he had sought a report from the Department of Agriculture on the total number of farmers who had applied for crop insurance. The opposition also called for the government to hold talks with the central government.

PWD Minister K. Lakshminarayanan told the house that the tourism sector was contributing largely to the exchequer. The assembly also passed the Puducherry Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill.

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