Daily, on average, 2,000 farmers are moving away from agriculture and becoming daily wage workers. So far, almost 70% of small and marginal farmers left farming and settled as daily wage workers and construction helpers. These staggering statistics are brought to the fore by a survey conducted by Transforming Rural India Foundation. The organisation has conducted this survey in 20 states across the country to document the plight of farmers.
According to the survey, the main reasons for the ordeal of farmers are increasing investment, absence of remunerative price, no guarantee of minimum support price, skyrocketing prices of urea, fertilizers and transport, and lack of adequate irrigation facilities. Despite the predicament, various state governments and the central government are of no avail to the farming community.
However, the picture is stark opposite in Telangana under the visionary leadership of CM KCR. The farmer-friendly Telangana government has made the agriculture sector its top priority. Resultantly, the state has seen an unprecedented turnaround in the agriculture and allied sectors.
In 75 years of independent India, the gross irrigated area in the country has increased by a meagre 6.7%. But in just 9 years of CM KCR’s rule, the gross irrigated area in Telangana jumped from 62.48 lakh acres in 2014-15 to 1.35 crore acres in 2020-21, a whopping 117%. This single figure alone can establish the fact that the Telangana government is firmly committed to the all-around upliftment of farmers.
A slew of schemes and initiatives are the driving forces behind the massive change in the agricultural sector in Telangana. Schemes such as Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Beema, 24-hour free power to farmers, and initiatives such as Mission Kakatiya and new irrigation projects to name a few have led to increased food production in the state.
Consequently, the value of exports from agricultural and allied sectors doubled when compared to 2014-15. The value currently stands at Rs. 7,737 crores. Even as per the survey of National Sample Survey Office statistics, the income growth of migrant workers is the highest in Telangana.
All these facts and figures elucidate that CM KCR has ushered in a golden era for agriculture in Telangana with a farmer-first approach in his governance.