G.O. (Ms.) No. 547, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Farmers Security Scheme, 2005

What the government order does

The Revenue Department issued G.O. (Ms.) No. 547 dated 22 September 2005 to support implementation of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Farmers Security Scheme. The government had launched the scheme under G.O. (Ms.) No. 540 dated 19 September 2005 for agricultural labourers, small and marginal farmers and their family members.

The document is an administrative staffing order. It does not contain provisions changing land ownership, land ceiling limits, title, registration or land use.

Administrative responsibility

G.O. (Ms.) No. 547 assigns responsibility at different levels:

• The Commissioner or Director of Land Reforms is responsible at State level and is designated Special Officer for the scheme.
• Special Deputy Collectors are responsible at district level and are designated Special Deputy Collectors for the Social Security Scheme.
• Tahsildars are responsible at taluk level and are designated Special Tahsildars for the Social Security Scheme.
• The Special Commissioner and Commissioner of Revenue Administration has overall State supervision.
• District Collectors have overall district supervision.
• Officers appointed to these roles must continue their existing duties and responsibilities.

Posts and vacancies

G.O. (Ms.) No. 547 sanctions additional posts for one year from its issue date. Key provisions include:

• Five posts in the office of the Commissioner or Director of Land Reforms, comprising one Superintendent, two Assistants, one Typist and one Office Assistant.
• Three Special Deputy Collector posts, one each for Kanniyakumari, Krishnagiri and The Nilgiris districts.
• Posts for Deputy Tahsildars, Assistants and Typists in Collectorates other than Chennai.
• Thirty one Special Tahsildar posts and 201 Assistant posts for taluk offices other than Chennai.
• Authority for the Special Commissioner and Commissioner of Revenue Administration to distribute staff according to availability and need.

The annexure identifies 31 taluks where vacant Tahsildar posts were to be addressed, across 18 districts.

Recruitment measures

G.O. (Ms.) No. 547 lifts the ban on direct recruitment for existing Village Administrative Officer vacancies and directs recruitment through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. Assistant vacancies are to be filled by promotion from Junior Assistant and Typist categories. Resulting Junior Assistant and Typist vacancies are to be filled by redeploying specified temporary contract staff working on consolidated pay from July 2003.