Hyderabad, March 22 – The Telangana government has allocated ₹9,000 crore under the Rythu Bharosa scheme to provide financial assistance to farmers for cultivation on 1.50 acres.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy released the first installment of ₹3,590 crore at a public meeting held in Narmeta, Siddipet district, on Sunday.
Since Sunday is a holiday, the amount will be credited to the farmers' bank accounts on Monday.
He announced that the second installment of ₹2,650 crore will be released within the next 20 days, while the remaining ₹2,760 crore will be released in the next 20 days.
Under the scheme, the state government provides an annual subsidy of ₹12,000 to farmers for every acre. The scheme benefits 70 lakh farmers.
The Chief Minister stated that despite financial constraints, the government is continuing welfare schemes for farmers.
He said that during the previous regime, ₹2,533 crore was spent every month on farmer welfare, but in the 28 months of the Congress government, ₹5,500 crore were spent every month.
CM Revanth Reddy said that the government wants to see happiness in the eyes of farmers by implementing welfare schemes, including remunerative prices for agricultural produce.
He remarked that no state where farmers cry can prosper.
He said that the government is also providing compensation to farmers who have suffered crop losses.
“The people's government has so far spent over ₹1 lakh crore on farmers' welfare within just two years,” he said.
The Chief Minister revealed that Telangana has emerged as the number one state in the country in terms of rice production.
He noted that this season, the government procured 71 lakh tonnes of rice. However, he lamented that the Central government is not procuring anything beyond 50 lakh tonnes.
Emphasising the need for transformation in agriculture, he said farmers need to adopt crop diversification.
He recalled that in the past, different regions used to cultivate various types of crops specific to their locality.
“There is a need to encourage farmers to cultivate not just rice, but a diverse range of crops. Plans necessary to facilitate this must be formulated,” he said.
Revanth Reddy said that with the support of the Central government, the state government will ensure that the crops cultivated by farmers become profitable.
