Telangana: Farmers question new application requirement for Rythu Bharosa scheme

It is resented that the government has lost the emotional touch with the peasant community and hence the retrograde systems were being put in place.

Hyderabad: In a move that has sparked widespread concern among the farming community, the Cabinet Sub-Committee has sought to require applications from farmers for the extending the crop investment support under the Rythu Bharosa scheme and it has drawn heavy flak across all sections. It is resented that the government has lost the emotional touch with the peasant community and hence the retrograde systems were being put in place.

For the past six years, there was no need for such applications, making this sudden change adding to the travails of the farmers. With the government already possessing detailed information as part of the vast data base developed over the past one decade about land and crops, the necessity of new applications is being questioned.

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The main worry now is whether farmers who fail to apply will still qualify to receive the much-needed benefit or not. The brief, three-day window being facilitated for applications has only added to the confusion, especially for those residing far from their villages or owning small plots of land. Farmers argue that this decision appears to be a tactic to reduce the number of beneficiaries and cut costs.

‘Govt lost emotional connection with farmers’

A majority of the farmers no longer stay in their native villages as they cannot afford to do so if their meager income levels are to be taken into consideration. They either moved to the towns and district headquarters for the education of their children. Some of the farmers with their occupations turning not so remunerative have taken up some time jobs or business activity elsewhere. Are they all required to come back to fulfill the formalities to qualify for the assistance?

With ongoing crop registration surveys through AEVOs and plans for a satellite survey, the call for new applications raises doubts. Farmers are seeking clarity on whether the Rythu Bharosa benefits will be granted based on these applications or the government’s crop survey. The new process is seen as adding bureaucratic red tape, forcing farmers to rely on local officials and potentially leaving those unfamiliar with the procedures at a disadvantage.

This scenario may also foster the emergence of agents’ systems offering assistance for a fee, putting the gullible sections of the farming community at risk of having their personal data exposed. K.V.N.L Narasimha Rao, a farmer from Nelakondapalli village near Kodad, lamented that the government seems to have lost its emotional connection with the farming community.

Farmers are already frustrated with the systems in place for paddy procurement, which often benefit millers more than the farmers. Now, the requirement for Rythu Bharosa applications is seen as a further mockery of the existing system, he resented adding that millers had deducted four to six kgs per quintal citing ‘Taalu’ and moisture issues while paying the farmers for the paddy purchased from them at the paddy purchase centre. Rao said he lost in a big way because of the failure of the government to eradicate this practice.

Kannegatti Ravi of Rythu Swarajya Vedika expressed concerns that the delayed process might adversely affect genuine farmers. He hopes that the State cabinet meeting on Saturday will make the right decisions, considering the Congress party’s election manifesto, the farmers’ declaration, and the prevailing conditions on the ground.