Congress govt conspiring to cut Rythu Bharosa for Yasangi, says Harish Rao

Former Minister T Harish Rao has accused the Congress government of conspiring to reduce Rythu Bharosa benefits for crops cultivated annually, including cotton, sugarcane, redgram and turmeric. He criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for changing his stance after coming to power, restricting assistance to one crop a year.

Sangareddy: Former Minister T Harish Rao on Sunday said the Congress government was conspiring to cut the Rythu Bharosa benefit for cotton, sugarcane, redgram, turmeric, orchards and other crops which were cultivated only once a year.

Quoting a government statement on disbursing Rythu Bharosa for 70 lakh acres only once while the area under cultivation was 1.46 lakh acres, he said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had demanded Rythu Bharosa for three crops a year when he was in the opposition.

---

Speaking to news reporters in Narayankhed, Harish Rao said Revanth Reddy had however changed his stance after being voted to power, and had decided to confine the Rythu Bharosa assistance to only one crop a year since cotton and sugarcane were cultivated only once a year.

Stating that after denying the loan waiver and crop insurance, the Congress government was now focussing on slashing the Rythu Bharosa assistance as well, Harish Rao said the BRS government had extended Rythu Bharosa (then Rythu Bandhu) for 11 consecutive seasons braving the challenges thrown by Covid-19. The Congress government would correct its mistakes only if the party was defeated in the panchayat elections, he said.

On the pending lift irrigation projects in Narayankhed, Harish Rao demanded that Revanth Reddy take up the Sangameshwara Lift Irrigation Project (SLIP) and Basaveshwara Lift Irrigation Project (BLIP) with immediate effect, failing which the BRS would take up a padayatra across villages in Narayankhed and Zaheerabad and mobilise a movement against the Congress government’s inaction. BRS leader M Bhupal Reddy and others were present.