For the ensuing summer season, all the farmers in the state will get an input financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 per acre from December 28. Under the Rythu Bandhu scheme, the state government is giving financial assistance twice a year to nearly 66 lakh farmers in the state at the rate of Rs. 5,000 per acre.
This is the 10th cycle of the scheme that was launched in 2018 by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who was moved by the plight of farmers. He wanted to prevent them from going to private money lenders and instead use the Rythu Bandhu amount for buying seeds, and fertilisers among others.
In the last rainy season, a total of 64.99 lakh farmers got Rs. 7,433.13 crore. This time one lakh more farmers are expected to be eligible for the scheme.
The sale and purchase of land, mutations and court judgements may result in an increase in beneficiaries. The visionary chief minister KCR had already set aside Rs. 200 crores more than the actual allocation. About 95 per cent of the beneficiaries are small and medium farmers holding less than five acres of land for whom the Rythu Bandhu is an invaluable help.
Meanwhile, the central government has stopped nearly Rs. 40,000 crore due to Telangana state under various heads. Mr Modi has termed all the welfare schemes of Telangana state as freebies and they should be stopped. Notwithstanding the hurdles being created by the BJP government at centre, the ruling BRS government in Telangana is not going back in continuing its welfare programmes.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao