Farmers

Permanent Settlement extended to Madras Presidency

The zamindari Permanent Settlement, first applied in Bengal, was introduced in parts of the Madras Presidency.

Village Settlement revenue experiment

A Village Settlement system of land revenue was tried in several Tamil districts before ryotwari became the norm.

Ryotwari system adopted in Madras Presidency

Under Thomas Munro the ryotwari land revenue system, dealing directly with cultivators, became the main settlement in Madras.

Coffee planting begins at Yercaud

Salem Collector M. D. Cockburn helped start coffee estates at Yercaud in the Shevaroy Hills during the 1820s.

Guntur famine strikes the Madras Presidency

Crop failures led to a famine that took roughly 150,000 lives in Guntur district and spread as far south as Madras.

Madras Native Association founded

One of India's earliest Indian political bodies, the Madras Native Association, was set up by Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty.

Madras Torture Commission appointed

A commission was appointed to investigate the torture of ryots by revenue officials in the Madras Presidency.

Mullaperiyar Dam completed

The Periyar dam, built under John Pennycuick between 1887 and 1895, began diverting water east to the Madurai region of the Madras Presidency.

Madras Agricultural College moves to Coimbatore

The Saidapet agricultural school moved to Coimbatore in 1906, and the Agricultural College and Research Institute opened there in 1909.

Karur Vysya Bank founded

On 25 July 1916 M. A. Venkatarama Chettiar and Athi Krishna Chettiar started Karur Vysya Bank for the traders and farmers of the Karur area.

Madras Agriculturists Relief Act eases peasant debt

A law to reduce the debts of indebted farmers in the Madras Presidency was brought in by the Rajagopalachari ministry.

Lower Bhavani (Bhavanisagar) Dam completed

Work was completed on the Bhavanisagar Dam over the Bhavani river, the first major irrigation project of independent India.

Amaravathi Dam built

The Amaravathi Dam was built across the Amaravathi river near Udumalpet for irrigation and flood control.

Krishnagiri Reservoir Project dam opened

Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Krishnagiri dam across the Thenpennai river.

Sathanur Dam completed

The Sathanur Dam across the Thenpennai river near Tiruvannamalai became operational under the Second Five Year Plan.

Manimuthar Dam built in Tirunelveli

The Manimuthar Dam was built near Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district to store monsoon water for irrigation.

C. Subramaniam becomes Union Food and Agriculture Minister

Under the leadership of C. Subramaniam of Madras, high-yielding seeds were introduced, starting the Green Revolution.

Madras Fertilizers incorporated

A Government of India and Amoco joint venture, Madras Fertilizers, was incorporated to produce fertilisers at Manali.

Kilvenmani massacre

Around 44 Dalit agricultural labourers' family members, mostly women and children, were burnt to death at Kilvenmani in Thanjavur district.

Land ceiling reduced to 15 standard acres

A 1970 Tamil Nadu law halved the family land ceiling, cutting it from 30 to 15 standard acres.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University established

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University came into existence with its headquarters in Coimbatore.

Expiry of the 1924 Kaveri agreement

The 50-year Madras-Mysore agreement of 1924 on Kaveri waters expired, opening a long inter-state dispute with Karnataka.

Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University founded

A separate university for veterinary and animal sciences, TANUVAS, was established at Madhavaram Milk Colony in Madras.

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal constituted

On a Supreme Court direction, the Union government set up a tribunal to adjudicate the Kaveri water dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Free electricity for farmers announced

The DMK government announced free power for agricultural pump sets, extending a 1984 scheme for small and marginal farmers to all farmers.

Cauvery tribunal issues interim award

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal directed Karnataka to release 205 TMC ft of water a year to Tamil Nadu.

Jayalalithaa fasts on the Marina over Cauvery water

Seeking Cauvery water from Karnataka for the kuruvai crop, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa went on a fast of about 80 hours beside the MGR memorial.

Koyambedu wholesale market complex opens

On Chennai's western side, the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex, one of the largest perishable goods markets in Asia, was opened.

C. Subramaniam awarded the Bharat Ratna

Former Union minister C. Subramaniam, a Congress leader from Tamil Nadu who ushered in the Green Revolution, was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

First Uzhavar Sandhai farmers' market opens in Madurai

Madurai hosted the first market of the DMK government's Uzhavar Sandhai scheme, where farmers could sell their produce straight to buyers.

Free land distribution for the landless poor

At Tiruvallur, Karunanidhi began handing out free land to landless poor families, delivering on a DMK election pledge.

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award

The Cauvery tribunal issued its final award allocating river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Cyclone Nisha floods the Cauvery delta

Cyclonic Storm Nisha made landfall in Tamil Nadu, bringing record rain to Orathanadu and killing at least 189 people in the state.

Free mixers, grinders, fans and livestock

The new AIADMK government began giving households free mixers, grinders and fans, and goats and cows to poor families.

Chief Minister's Uzhavar Pathukappu Thittam

A farmers' security scheme gave registered landless labourers, small farmers and tenants cash help for education, marriage, death and old age.

Cyclone Thane strikes Cuddalore and Puducherry

Thane, a very severe cyclonic storm, crossed the coast between Cuddalore and Puducherry, wrecking homes, crops and trees.

Madurai malli recognised as a geographical indication

Madurai jasmine became the first flower from Tamil Nadu to be given geographical indication status.

Crop loan waiver and 100 free units of household power

Back in power, Jayalalithaa cancelled the cooperative crop loans of 16.94 lakh farmers and made the first 100 units of household power free.

Neduvasal protests against hydrocarbon extraction

Villagers of Neduvasal in Pudukkottai district protested against a central plan to extract hydrocarbons from farmland.

Supreme Court final verdict on Cauvery waters

The Supreme Court reduced Tamil Nadu's share of Cauvery water slightly and ordered a scheme for implementation, leading to the Cauvery Water Management Authority.

Cauvery Water Management Authority constituted

Following the Supreme Court's final Cauvery verdict, the Union government created the Cauvery Water Management Authority.

Cyclone Gaja devastates the Cauvery delta

Cyclone Gaja crossed the coast near Vedaranyam, killing dozens and destroying coconut groves, homes and boats in the delta districts.

Erode turmeric gets a geographical indication

The Government of India recognised Erode turmeric (Erode manjal) as a geographical indication.

Cauvery delta declared a protected special agricultural zone

Tamil Nadu declared the Cauvery delta a protected special agricultural zone, barring new hydrocarbon and similar projects.

Rs. 12,110 crore cooperative crop loan waiver

Ahead of the 2021 election, Palaniswami waived crop loans from cooperative banks for about 16 lakh farmers after cyclones damaged crops.

TVK government's cooperative crop loan waiver

Cooperative crop loans taken from May 2025 to February 2026 were waived by the Vijay government, a relief that eventually reached 14.43 lakh farmers.

Parandur airport project dropped

Chief Minister Vijay announced in the Assembly that the proposed second Chennai airport at Parandur would be scrapped and a new site sought.