Two suicides in the space of a week and suddenly Tamil Nadu has joined the ranks of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, where drought-related deaths are not uncommon.

The rain gods have ignored the once-fertile Thanjavur delta for over one-and-half years now and farmers are in dire straits.

The Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association called a Thanjavur bandh on Thursday to highlight their plight in the light of the two suicides. The Congress and the Communist Party of India extended support to the bandh call.

This is the first time in recent memory that poverty-stricken farmers, unable to feed their families, are resorting to taking their lives in Tamil Nadu.

While Veerayyan, a marginal farmer, committed suicide in Thanjavur district last week, Shanmugam ended a life of misery and mounting debt in Thiruvarur district on Tuesday.

In a hand-written letter to the Thiruvarur district collector, Shanmugam said he was committing suicide as he was unable to feed his family.

The two suicides refocused attention on the drought and unemployment scenario in rural Tamil Nadu.

The government, however, is in a state of denial.

The Thanjavur district collector claims the aged Veerayyan committed suicide after his wife refused him money to buy liquor.

"The state government's insensitivity to farmers' suicides is unfortunate," state CPI secretary R Nallakannu said, while releasing a copy of Shanmugam's suicide note to newspersons in Chennai.

Not just the Thanjavur delta, the entire state has been affected by poor rains. Worse, excessive fog in the Nilgiris hills has affected the tea crop.

The suicides have also redrawn attention to the state's dispute with neighbouring Karnataka over the sharing of Cauvery river water.

The kuruvai crop last year was lost to a failed southwest monsoon and the dispute over Cauvery waters.

The first signs of northeast monsoon had raised expectations. Eager to make up for their losses of the past few years, farmers sowed seeds pinning all their hopes on the northeast monsoon. However, after the initial showers, even the northeast monsoon failed leaving the farmers devastated.

Opposition parties and farmers' organisations have begun pressuring Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to obtain Cauvery waters from Karnataka to save whatever remains of the samba crop, most of which has withered away.

Various farmers' organisations, including those aligned with political parties, have got together and formed a federation on the lines of government employees' union.

They have been holding district-level conventions to highlight their plight and are now planning a statewide conference.

In view of these developments, Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced  a series of measures aimed at assuaging the farming community.

Talking to newspersons after a day-long cabinet meeting, she announced a free noon meal scheme for small and medium farmers, and landless labourers from January 15 (Pongal - Tamil new year day) onwards.

The scheme would be applicable in all districts, barring Chennai city. 

Jayalalithaa also said coconut farmers would be given a compensation of Rs 50 for every dried-up palm that has not been able to stand the drought and heat of the past year and half.

This is perhaps the first time in the country that a state government has announced an across-the-board free meal scheme for a broad segment of its population.

Tamil Nadu already has a noon meal scheme for school students.

Those desiring to avail of the noon meal scheme had to enroll themselves on or before January 13th, Jayalalithaa said.

More reports from Tamil Nadu