Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has issued orders to officials to disburse ‘Rythu Bandhu’ funds to farmers starting from Tuesday (December 12th) for Rabi crops. It is noteworthy that ‘Rythu Bandhu’ was a scheme introduced by the previous BRS government. Since the Congress government has not yet finalised the guidelines for their promised scheme, ‘Rythu Bharosa’, they have decided to carry forward the previous government’s initiative for the current period. During the election campaign, Revanth Reddy frequently mentioned that once in power, the government would provide Rs.15,000 to farmers, tenant farmers, and Rs.12,000 to labouring farmers, and a Rs.500 bonus for paddy procurement under ‘Rythu Bharosa’. However, the current decision reflects a continuation of the previous government’s scheme.
నేటి నుండే ‘రైతుబంధు’ నిధుల విడుదల: సీఎం
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) December 11, 2023
రాష్ట్రంలోని రైతులందరికీ ‘రైతుబంధు’ నిధులను వారి ఖాతాల్లో జమచేసే ప్రక్రియను నేటి నుండి ప్రారంభించాలని సీఎం శ్రీ @Revanth_Anumula ఆదేశించారు.
వ్యవసాయ శాఖపై ముఖ్యమంత్రి డా. బి. ఆర్. అంబేద్కర్ తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర సచివాలయంలో దాదాపు మూడు గంటల… pic.twitter.com/h9FxL79IXR
Seethakka Comments on ‘Rythu Bandhu’
According to the Chief Minister’s decision, ‘Rythu Bandhu’ funds will initially be deposited for farmers with one acre of farmland, followed by distribution to the remaining farmers. In accordance with the guidelines established by the previous government, Rs. 5000 will be deposited per acre. Recently, Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka stated that ‘Rythu Bandhu’ funds will only be disbursed after the Chief Minister’s review, in response to criticism from former minister Harish Rao. Seethakka further commented that in the previous BRS government, guidelines were set up according to their preferences, and she satirically mentioned that Harish Rao is concerned about people with large farmhouses not receiving ‘Rythu Bandhu.’ After Seethakka’s comments, concerns arose among farmers, fearing that ‘Rythu Bandhu’ funds would be delayed. However, just two days after Seethakka’s comments, the Congress government decided to release ‘Rythu Bandhu’ funds.
Also Read: The Missing Files: What’s Going On In Telangana Government Offices
‘Rythu Bandhu’ issue in the election period
During the Telangana assembly election campaign, the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme became a significant issue when the Election Commission of India (ECI) revoked permission for the BRS government to disburse funds. Following a complaint from the Congress government to halt the scheme during the elections, the ECI issued orders to stop it.
Subsequently, considering BRS’s appeal and citing their adherence to the Election Commission’s guidelines during the 2018 assembly elections, the commission gave the green signal to resume the scheme. However, the then minister Harish Rao violated the model code of conduct by using the Rythu Bandhu in election publicity, leading the ECI to once again cancel permission. In response, the Congress government reassured farmers not to worry, pledging that once in power, they would introduce the ‘Rythu Bharosa’ scheme.
6 గ్యారంటీలలో చెప్పిన రైతు భరోసా కోసం 6 నెలలు ఆగాల్సిందే! !
— Telugu Scribe (@TeluguScribe) December 12, 2023
కాంగ్రెస్ అధికారంలోకి రాగానే డిసెంబర్ 9 నుండి 6 గ్యారంటీల అమలు అన్నారు. అధికారంలోకి వచ్చిన తరువాత మాట మార్చి 100 రోజుల్లో అమలు చేస్తాం అన్నారు కానీ.. రైతు భరోసా మరో 6 నెలల దాకా అమలు చేయలేని పరిస్థితి ఏర్పడింది.
రైతు… pic.twitter.com/a9zw4EJQxZ
How does Congress identify tenant farmers?
The former BRS government implemented the Rythu Bandhu scheme for farmers having agricultural land; it is benefiting 70 lakh farmers. In their manifesto, the Congress promised to extend the scheme to include tenant farmers and coolie farmers as well. However, the party has not provided details on the implementation process or how they plan to identify eligible tenant farmers and coolie farmers.
