BRS slams Telangana govt for letting down farmers’ community

Former minister Niranjan Reddy pointed out that the government was yet to finalize the modalities for implementation of Rythu Bharosa.

Hyderabad: Coming down heavily on the Congress government for letting down the farmers’ community, which was nurtured so well during the BRS regime in the State, former Ministers Niranjan Reddy and Errabelli Dayakar Rao said farmers were facing an uncertain future in the State. The government was yet to implement the Vanakalam tranche of the agriculture investment support scheme.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Niranjan Reddy pointed out that the government was yet to finalize the modalities for implementation of Rythu Bharosa, despite the fact that Kharif operations were in full swing following pre-monsoon rains all over. The government had failed to disburse Rs 10,000 per acre of assistance in full for the Yasangi crops, not to mention the Rs 15000 per acre of assistance promised under the Rythu Bharosa scheme.

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Taking serious exception to the false propaganda being carried out by people in power targeting the Rythu Bandhu programme, he said every inch of the land in the State was arable. The Rythu Bandhu assistance was given to all farmers based on the pattedar passbooks in proof of the land-holdings in the possession of every farmer, He said the assistance was intended to incentivize the farmers to go in for raising crops in every piece of land.

Nearly 95 percent of the farmers in the State were in possession of five acres and less, while those in possession of five to seven acres would account for less than seven percent. Those farmers in possession of land holdings ranging from 20 acres to 54 acres was only 6488. It is time for the government to reach out to farmers with much needed assistance in support of the crop investment for the current Vanakalam season without further delay.

The increase in the number of farmers’ suicides, scarcity of seeds, and fetilizers speak volumes about the worsening plight of the farmers today in the State. The government was still in the process of discussing the loan waiver promise in the cabinet.

Dayakar Rao wanted the State government to review its approach to state-sponsored programmes aimed at the welfare of farmers. All the major irrigation sources had gone dry in the State. Major projects such as Devadula were left to their fate without the mandatory pre-monsoon maintenance works.