On Republic Day, Revanth Reddy launched four welfare schemes - Rythu Bharosa, Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa, Indiramma Indlu, and new ration cards. Later, he criticised the previous Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government for not focusing on development.
Published Jan 27, 2025 | 9:22 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 27, 2025 | 9:22 AM
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launches four welfare schemes in Telangana
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched four flagship welfare schemes on 26 January, fulfilling key Congress promises from the 2023 Assembly elections almost a year since it helped his party’s victory over the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS). Reddy chose Chandravancha village in Vikarabad, part of his Kodangal constituency, to inaugurate the welfare initiatives on Republic Day.
The Chief Minister launched Rythu Bharosa, Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa, Indiramma Indlu, and new ration cards.
The Rythu Bharosa scheme, replacing the previous Rythu Bandhu programme, will provide ₹12,000 annual crop assistance to farmers. Whilst the Congress had promised ₹15,000 during elections, up from the earlier ₹10,000, it later settled on ₹12,000, citing strain on the state exchequer.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy handing over cheques for the schemes.
Reddy handed over a ₹97.9 lakh cheque to Chandravancha’s farmers, with 734 villagers set to benefit from the scheme.
The Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa scheme will provide farm labourers ₹12,000 yearly support per family. The Chief Minister presented a cheque benefiting 33 families in Chandravancha, totalling ₹1.9 lakh.
Under the Indiramma Indlu Pathakam housing scheme, Reddy distributed proceeding documents to villagers, guaranteeing ₹5 lakh assistance per house. The government will also issue 236 new ration cards to the village shortly.
Addressing the villagers, the chief minister launched into a scathing attack against the previous Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government.
“During the previous regime, the BRS was unjust towards Kodangal, not focusing on its development,” Reddy claimed during his speech.
“The Congress always stands with the poor, whether it was YS [Rajashekhara Reddy]’s commitment to make power free for farmers or Sonia Gandhi’s commitment to provide a gas cylinder at ₹400,” he continued. He further lamented that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and K Chandrashekhara Rao had caused the price of cooking gas to rise to ₹1,200 a cylinder.
“Henceforth, we’ll be releasing about ₹20,000 Crore annually to over 70 Lakh farmers under the Rythu Bharosa scheme,” Reddy said. He further criticised former Chief Minister KCR, saying he “couldn’t even provide the 2BHK houses he promised to the people of Kodangal.”
“While we issued the cheque today, the money is going to be credited into your accounts post 12 a.m.,” the Chief Minister assured.
“The previous government ruled you from the farmhouse. In this government, the government officials are coming to your villages to inquire about your needs and problems to resolve them,” Reddy stated, adding that the ongoing gram sabhas statewide exemplified the praja palana that the Congress upholds.
“Even in these meetings, some people are trying to mislead the people and create misunderstandings. If you have any questions regarding the schemes and whether you’re a beneficiary, talk to the officials,” he requested.
The chief minister also addressed the October 2024 Lagcherla violence.
“We wanted to develop Kodangal, and to do so we intended to acquire about 1,300 acres to bring in industries. Even then, some people made the villagers protest and attack government officials,” he said.
The incident began when villagers from Lagcherla, Dudyala, and Roti banda Thanda staged a sit-in protest against land acquisition for a proposed pharma village. But the protest turned violent when Vikarabad Collector Prateek Jain attempted negotiations at the protest site, trying to convince protestors to attend a public meeting in nearby Hakimpet village. He had arrived at Lagcherla without a security detail.
The situation escalated when villagers cornered officials, brandishing sticks and pelting stones at vehicles until police intervention. Authorities subsequently arrested Patnam Nagendar Reddy of the BRS for allegedly instigating violence. Police extracted a statement where he reportedly confessed to acting on BRS working president KT Rama Rao’s instructions.
Meanwhile, responding to BRS’s allegations against his brother, the Chief Minister said, “No matter what problems the people of Kodangal face, Tirupati Reddy will always be available.” He added, “The BRS asks me what position Tirupati Reddy holds. Unlike them who’ve shoehorned their entire family into positions of power, my brother is working for the people without wishing for a position of power.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
