Hyderabad: For the ongoing rabi season, 21.02 lakh farmers received Rs 607.32 crore in their bank accounts towards Rythu Bandhu on Wednesday at a rate of Rs 5,000 per acre, while BRS leaders, workers, and farmers held rallies thanking Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao by chanting the BRS campaign slogan ‘Ab Ki Baar, Kisan Sarkar’.
There was jubilation all over with farmers in the state performing ksheerabhishekam on Wednesday by pouring milk over the portrait of the Chief Minister, thanking him for extending the scheme in spite of financial constraints, and expressing eternal gratitude for adopting farmer-friendly welfare programmes.
The farmers claimed that prior to Rythu Bandhu, they were compelled to rely on private money lenders to meet agriculture costs at higher interest rates and fall into debt traps, but that with Rythu Bandhu’s assistance, they were able to meet costs to cultivate crops on their own.
Further, they claimed that farming has become a profitable occupation in Telangana as a result of Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, and 24-hour free power, while also demanding that such pro-farmer schemes be implemented throughout the country, which would be possible only if the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was voted to power at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They also called upon farmers in other states to support the BRS for the development of the country and farmers.
Despite financial constraints, the CM has recently issued orders to the finance department to release Rs 7,776 crore for Rythu Bandhu for the rabi season, which will be credited in the accounts every day until January 15 to cover all 70.54 lakh farmers in the state who own 1.53 crore acres of agricultural land.
This is the 10th Rythu Bandhu payment made to farmers since the scheme was announced in May 2018 to extend Rs 10,000 per acre per year for the kharif and rabi seasons combined at a rate of Rs 5,000 per acre for each season.
The government has so far spent Rs 65,560 crore on Rythu Bandhu since its launch in 2018. On the first day, farmers owning land up to one acre were covered. This will be increased to one acre every day up to 20 acres and all the farmers irrespective of extent of land they own would be covered by January 15.
In kharif season this year, 65 lakh farmers received Rs 7,434 crore while an additional 5 lakh farmers will get the benefit in ongoing rabi with officials identifying 70.54 lakh farmers as eligible for Rythu Bandhu.
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