Every farmer will get Rythu Bandhu by Sankranthi: Harish Rao

Addressing farmers after participating in an Athma Committee Gajwel oath-taking ceremony, the Minister said the farmers in Siddipet never used to cultivate paddy or other water-intensive crops during Yasangi.

Siddipet: Finance Minister T Harish Rao said financial assistance as part of the Rythu Bandhu scheme would be deposited in every farmer’s account before the Sankranthi festival, beginning from December 28.

Addressing farmers after participating in an Athma Committee Gajwel oath-taking ceremony in Market Yard Gajwel on Monday, the Minister said the farmers in Siddipet district never used to cultivate paddy or other water-intensive crops during Yasangi. However, now they could cultivate paddy even during the Yasangi season as Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had completed the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. He said the Kudavelly stream was full even during the summer as KLIS water was being released into the stream. Rao said there were no instances of crops withering in a single acre of land in the district now because the water bodies were brimming with Godavari water.

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While the Telangana government was taking up a host of programmes for the benefit of farmers, the Minister said the Centre was insisting on them installing electricity meters at agriculture fields. When the State refused to install the meters, he said the Centre held back Rs 12,000 crore in funds. The Centre had held back a total of Rs 40,000 crore in grants, making the implementation of welfare programmes difficult. However, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was determined to implement all the schemes without any interruption, he said.