Underfunded Indiramma Aathmeeya Bharosa exposes Congress Govt’s attempt to hoodwink people

The Telangana government's meagre Rs 600 crore allocation for the Indiramma Aathmeeya Bharosa scheme in the 2025-26 budget has raised serious questions about the Congress' commitment to welfare programmes

Hyderabad: The Telangana government’s meagre Rs 600 crore allocation for the Indiramma Aathmeeya Bharosa scheme in the 2025-26 budget has raised serious questions about the Congress’ commitment to welfare programmes. While the scheme was launched with much fanfare on January 26 this year, the budgetary support appears grossly inadequate, exposing the government’s lack of groundwork and planning.

The scheme, meant to provide Rs 12,000 annually to landless agricultural labourers, was initially rolled out in 563 villages, with the first installment of Rs 6,000 reaching 18,180 beneficiaries. The Finance Department released Rs 10.91 crore on the first day. The government declared that all job card holders of MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) are eligible for the scheme.

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However, the Rs 600 crore budget allocation falls drastically short when compared to the huge number of eligible beneficiaries.

According to Central government data, Telangana has 58.78 lakh active MGNREGA workers with 34.65 lakh active job cards, all of whom are technically eligible for the scheme. At Rs 12,000 per person annually, the government would need at least Rs 3,000 crore for proper implementation. Yet, it has allocated only Rs 600 crore – just 20 per cent of the required funds.

Ironically, the government has allocated Rs 18,000 crore for Rythu Bharosa, providing Rs 12,000 per acre annually to 65 lakh farmers cultivating 2.2 crore acres. In stark contrast, landless labourers whom the Congress election manifesto declared as one of the most vulnerable groups have been sidelined. The budget disparity raises concerns over whether the Congress government prioritises welfare equitably or is only hoodwinking people for its vote bank politics.

The underfunding of Indiramma Aathmeeya Bharosa suggests that the government announced the scheme without assessing its financial feasibility. With limited funds, how does the government intend to cover all eligible beneficiaries? Will the payouts be selective? Will thousands of labourers be left out? The numbers simply do not add up, making the scheme look more like a political gimmick than a serious welfare initiative.

While the Congress government claims to champion landless labourers, its budget priorities tell a different story. Unless additional funds are allocated, Indiramma Aathmeeya Bharosa risks becoming yet another symbolic, underfunded scheme, which is promised but never fully delivered.