The Congress government in Telangana is set to replace the existing Rythu Bandhu scheme with the new Rythu Bharosa initiative, starting from Sankranthi in the coming year. Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao announced in the Legislative Assembly that the guidelines for Rythu Bharosa are nearing completion and are expected to be approved in the cabinet meeting on the 30th of this month. Reportedly, the new scheme introduces significant changes purportedly to cut the beneficiaries of the scheme.
Currently, around 70 lakh farmers receive investment assistance for over 1.48 crore acres under Rythu Bandhu, with the state government disbursing Rs. 80,453.41 crore over six years, averaging Rs. 13,000 crore annually. However, with the new guidelines, annual investment is estimated to decrease by Rs. 3,000 crore to Rs. 4,000 crore.
Under Rythu Bharosa, investment assistance will be calculated based on actual cultivation during the Kharif and Rabi seasons. Satellite surveys conducted by the National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) and field-level crop data collected by Assistant Agricultural Officers (AAOs) will be used to determine the extent of cultivated land and corresponding assistance.
The new scheme is likely to introduce a seven-acre cap on investment assistance per farmer. While the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme restricts aid to farmers with up to five acres, the state government has opted for a middle ground. Regardless of the amount of land owned, assistance will be provided for a maximum of seven acres per family unit.
Under the family-based unit policy, assistance will be capped for the entire family, even if landholdings are registered under multiple members. Additionally, families with individuals who have paid income tax for two consecutive years in the last five years will be deemed ineligible for the scheme.
Similar to the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rythu Bharosa will implement strict eligibility criteria. The following groups will be excluded:
- Public representatives
- Government employees (including pensioners)
- Income tax payers
- Professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, and architects
Class IV employees and local body representatives are exempt from these exclusions. However, families with multiple farmers will receive assistance for only one member, subject to the seven-acre cap.