Telangana Congress government omits 8 lakh acres from Rythu Bharosa list

Another 5 lakh acres may also lose assistance; final list of farmers who failed to make it to the list of beneficiaries will be known within a 7-10 days

Hyderabad: The joy of farmers in Telangana has turned into disappointment as the State government’s promised disbursal of crop investment support under the Rythu Bharosa scheme is eluding many. Around eight lakh acres, previously included for support under the Rythu Bandhu scheme, are no longer on the list. The status of another five lakh acres is also under scrutiny, with the farmers of such holdings to cease getting the benefit.

Rythu Bandhu, launched in 2018 to help farmers in distress and prevent suicides, was altered by the Congress government into Rythu Bharosa with some tweaks. Initially, the government promised to increase the assistance from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 per acre for each crop season (Kharif and Rabi). However, they increased it only to Rs 6,000 per acre, disappointing farmers who had pinned high hopes on the scheme.

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According to official sources, nearly 13 lakh acres may be excluded from the Rythu Bharosa scheme finally in the current round of crop investment support disbursal. The final list of all those who failed to make it to the Congress government’s list of beneficiaries will be known within a week to 10 days. Farmers who did not receive the remittances have been visiting Agriculture Department officials and are being directed to Collectors’ offices to find out why. The farming community is restless and upset over this.

These omissions are not final. They are only for the current round of Rythu Bharosa disbursals. More such deletions are in store for the next round, sources said. The government plans to implement a system to certify whether land is eligible for crop investment assistance permanently. Officials claim that much of the excluded land is no longer used for agriculture and has been left fallow or acquired for government projects.

The Collectors of the districts concerned are expected to complete the necessary paperwork soon, officials said, adding that the State government was working to identify agricultural land currently under cultivation for the assistance. The State government had released Rs 1,091 crore to farmers with up to two acres of land, covering 34.69 lakh beneficiaries and 36.97 lakh acres at a cost of Rs 2,218.49 crore. Simultaneously an exercise is on to find out whether the land being paid crop investment assistance is arable or not.

 

Situation on ground

• 8 lakh acres already excluded from Rythu Bharosa
• Another 5 lakh acres being scrutinised and may also be excluded
• Farmers already upset that government provided only minimal hike of Rs 1,000 per acre
• Govt released Rs 1,091 cr for farmers with up to 2 acres so far