Fear of electoral backlash forces Congress Govt to ease curbs for Rythu Bharosa

In this backdrop the government is trying to address factors that added to the disillusionment among the farming community, as part of which it planning to shelve the modifications mooted for extending the enhanced assistance under the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Initially, the scheme was proposed to be restricted to small and marginal farmers with land holdings of up to 5 acres. However, this restriction is now being reconsidered.

Hyderabad: The Congress government is all set to backtrack on its initial stance to cut down the financial burden of the Rythu Bharosa scheme, apparently due to the growing discontent among the farming community after the government’s failure to deliver on its key promises, and the fear of a potential backlash in the forthcoming local body polls from over 70 lakh farmers who have benefited from the Rythu Bandhu scheme of the previous BRS government. Even within the ruling party, an emerging pro-farmer lobby has been sounding caution against alienating the farmers any further.

In this backdrop the government is trying to address factors that added to the disillusionment among the farming community, as part of which it planning to shelve the modifications mooted for extending the enhanced assistance under the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Initially, the scheme was proposed to be restricted to small and marginal farmers with land holdings of up to 5 acres. However, this restriction is now being reconsidered.

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The Congress government, which completed its one-year rule, faced criticism for its failure to implement key promises, including the waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh and enhanced crop investment support in a full-fledged manner. To make amends, the government is now considering extending the Rythu Bharosa scheme to all farmers, regardless of the extent of their land holdings.This decision is aimed to extend support to all farmers. The government now feels the need to provide assistance as per the norms laid down originally during the BRS regime reaching out to everyone who is ‘genuinely a farmer’. The four-member cabinet sub-committee tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Rythu Bharosa scheme is in the final stages of its exercise. The new guidelines will be discussed in the ongoing session. The committee has completed the task of gathering feedback from farmers and other stakeholders to ensure that the scheme benefits those who genuinely need support.

Even within the ruling party, leaders have reportedly been critical of further cuts in the benefits extended to farmers. They fear that any such move would yield disastrous results in the local body polls. The overall impression among the farming community is that it was totally let down. The government is now keen on playing it safe. Hence, there may be no meddling with the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Only the beneficiaries whose agricultural land has been put to non-agricultural purposes are likely cease to enjoy the benefits from the Rythu Bharosa scheme, which is expected to be rolled out in a month or two.