Rythu Bharosa disbursement uncertain ahead of Vaanakalam crop season

With the Kharif season approaching, Telangana farmers are unlikely to receive Rythu Bharosa assistance this month due to fiscal constraints. The scheme was absent from a key government review meeting, raising concerns over delayed payments and funding availability

Hyderabad: With the Vaanakalam (Kharif) season set to commence across Telangana, farmers are unlikely to receive Rythu Bharosa financial assistance this month. Concerns are being raised over the Congress government’s ability to sustain one of the State’s largest welfare programmes amid mounting fiscal pressures.

Significantly, Rythu Bharosa did not figure in the marathon review meeting conducted by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday to assess monsoon preparedness and agricultural operations.

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Officials indicated that the government is currently in no position to immediately mobilise the nearly Rs 9,000 crore required for a full-scale disbursement ahead of the sowing season. The government allocated Rs 18,000 crore for Rythu Bharosa in the 2026-27 State budget.

The development reinforces a pattern that has emerged since the Congress assumed office. Unlike the previous BRS government, which institutionalised financial assistance at the beginning of the season through direct transfers into farmers’ bank accounts, the Congress government has largely moved away from predictable and time-bound disbursements.

A review of the scheme’s implementation over the past two years reveals repeated interruptions. Despite the previous BRS government setting aside Rs 7,000 crore for disbursement during the 2023-24 Yasangi season, the Congress, which assumed power in December 2023, released funds only at the end of the season.

The financial assistance for the 2024-25 Vaanakalam season was skipped altogether. During the subsequent Yasangi season, only about Rs 4,000 crore was released, largely restricted to farmers owning up to three acres.

The pattern continued in 2025-26. Although the government disbursed around Rs 9,000 crore during Vaanakalam at the end of the season in a phased manner, the Yasangi instalment was only partially released, with approximately Rs 6,000 crore distributed. The recurring delays and partial payments have created uncertainty among farmers, particularly ahead of crop seasons when working capital requirements are at their peak.

Officials attributed the delay primarily to the State’s strained finances. The government’s own accounts underline the challenge. In April 2026, Telangana collected Rs 10,974 crore in tax revenue but simultaneously raised borrowings of Rs 11,413 crore. Under these circumstances, officials said finding an additional Rs 9,000 crore for Rythu Bharosa was not feasible.

For farmers preparing for the Kharif season, the absence of any announcement on Rythu Bharosa has reinforced perceptions that the government is increasingly postponing or staggering payments to manage fiscal constraints, even as the scheme remains one of its most significant commitments to the agricultural sector.