The state government said the assistance will be based on the area of cultivable land registered under the Bhu Bharati portal. It will also exclude non-cultivable land.
Published Jan 12, 2025 | 3:53 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 12, 2025 | 3:53 PM
The Rythu Bharosa scheme is set to be implemented after Republic Day
The Telangana government released the guidelines for its Rythu Bharosa scheme guidelines and said that it will be launched on 26 January, the occasion of Republic Day.
Rhythu Bharosa is a crop investment assistance scheme set to replace the erstwhile BRS regime’s Rythu Bandhu and a part of the poll promises made by the ruling Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in the state in December 2023.
An annual sum of ₹12,000 per acre to cultivable land was announced in the 2024-2025 budget tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
Following assurances from both the deputy chief minister and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy that the scheme will take effect post-Sankranthi, a harvest festival, they announced its implementation on 26 January.
In September 2023, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had announced that if the party was elected to power in the state, its government would pay farmers a Rhythu Bharosa amount of ₹15,000 per acre annually.
రైతు భరోసా పథకిం కింద రైతులకు ఈనెల 26 వ తేదీ నుంచి పంట పెట్టుబడి సహాయం అందించడానికి సంబంధించి ప్రభుత్వం మార్గదర్శకాలను జారీ చేసింది. భూభారతి పోర్టల్లో నమోదైన వ్యవసాయ యోగ్యమైన భూమి విస్తీర్ణం ఆధారంగా పట్టాదారులకు రైతు భరోసా సహాయం అందించనున్నట్టు ఉత్తర్వుల్లో (జీవో ఆర్టీ నంబర్ 18… pic.twitter.com/Z8jzuw2G40
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) January 12, 2025
“Telangana government is committed to making agriculture profitable,” the brief dated 10 January said. It further explained that the government was bringing Rythu Bharosa to increase agricultural productivity and financial stability.
It is to be noted that the crop investment subsidy has gone up to ₹12,000 from ₹10,000 under the previous Rythu Bandhu scheme but is ₹3,000 less than what Congress’ manifesto promised.
The state government said the assistance will be based on the area of cultivable land registered under the Bhu Bharati portal. It will also exclude non-cultivable land.
The Bhu Bharati Portal is the Congress’ replacement for the BRS regime’s Dharani Portal for land registration. It was instated via the Bhu Bharathi – Record of Rights (RoR) on Land Act, 2024, replacing the RoR Act of 2020. The new Act seeks to bring in a unique identification number for each land parcel, which will be known as Bhu Aadhar on the lines of Aadhar.
Additionally, the brief details that the Rights of Forest Dwelling (ROFR) Scheduled Tribes patta holders will also be eligible for the assistance.
The money will be transferred via DBT (Direct Beneficiary Transfer) operated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This is the method where the assistance will be directly credited into the beneficiary’s bank account.
Furthermore, the Director of Agriculture, Dr B Gopi, will be spearheading the scheme implementation. However, the district collectors will be responsible for implementing the scheme in their districts. They will also be responsible for grievance redressal.
The Government of Telangana has also taken the National Informatics Centre (NIC) on board as its IT partner for effective implementation.
Speaking at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, the BRS headquarters, party working president KTR said that they will hound the government until they pay out the remainder of Rythu Bandhu.
“You owe their farmers ₹17,500 per acre,” he posited. He also noted that the BRS would keep a close watch on the scheme’s implementation to ensure that no group is left out.
He expressed concern regarding the commission of landless farm labourers under the scheme.
Interestingly, there was no mention of farm labourers in the brief. However, Mallu Bhatti had announced an assistance of ₹12,000 per acre for landless farm labourers from January as well.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
