Telangana: Over 3.50 lakh farmers await Rythu Bharosa support in Adilabad

Fear that model code of conduct in view of MLC elections may further delay disbursement

Adilabad: Around 3.50 lakh farmers from erstwhile Adilabad district are yet to receive Rythu Bharosa investment support from the government.

Officials said that 3.51 lakh farmers from Adilabad, Nirmal, Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts got the support worth Rs 274.99 crore in three phases so far. A total of 25,000 farmers were provided with the support in the first phase, while 3.26 lakh farmers were covered in the second and third phases of the initiative combinedly.

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Farmers who owned two acres of land benefited from the scheme till now. But now farmers fear that the model code of conduct that came into force in view of elections to the Legislative Council would further delay the disbursement.

According to the officials, the composite Adilabad district has seven lakh beneficiaries of the scheme. The remaining farmers are waiting to receive the crop investment support. They said that they raised crops by taking loans from private lenders at exorbitant rates of interest. They stated they would be bailed out if the government sanctioned the aid at the earliest.

Swami from Pippalkot village in Bheempur mandal said that he grew paddy and maize crops in his five acres of land by availing loans from a local fertilizer trader at much higher rates of interest than charged by banks due to delay in getting the investment support. He said that he would end up paying interests to the trader if the government delays the release of the funds.

Agriculture Department officials said that the investment support would be given to the farmers soon. They stated that the list of eligible beneficiaries was already sent to the government. They added that the draft list of the beneficiaries was displayed during recent gram sabhas and objections of the participants were gathered.