Pruning of promised aid to farmers gives ammunition to opposition in Telangana

Hyderabad, Jan 5 (IANS) The Congress government’s decision to prune the promised investment support to farmers under Rythu Bharosa is likely to give fresh ammunition to the opposition parties, which had termed the move a “betrayal” of farmers.

Both Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plan to launch protests and further step up the attack on the ruling party for allegedly going back on one of its guarantees.

The opposition parties had been voicing apprehensions that the Congress government is trying to impose conditions to deny farmers assistance under Rythu Bharosa.

However, the state Cabinet at its meeting on Saturday decided to extend financial assistance of Rs 12,000 per acre from January 26 for all cultivable lands without any conditions. This is Rs 3,000 less than what was promised by the Congress party in the November 2023 Assembly polls.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy cited financial stress for pruning the promised assistance. He, however, said this assistance was still Rs 2,000 more than what the BRS government was giving to farmers under Rythu Bandhu.

Both BRS and BJP termed the Congress government’s decision a betrayal of farmers.

“The Congress is synonymous with fraud and deceit,” alleged BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao. He termed Chief Minister Reddy as a traitor to farmers.

He alleged that the much-publicised Warangal Rythu Declaration and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promises to farmers were hollow.

“Declaration became deception, guarantees became fantasies within a year of Congress rule in Telangana. Rahul Gandhi has stabbed farmers in the back yet again,” said BJP leader Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

“This isn’t help – it’s outright humiliation of farmers Congress thrives on lies, betrayal, and broken promises. Telangana Farmers placed their trust in Rahul Gandhi & Congress, only to have it turned into a cruel joke. Enough of this fraud! Farmers of Telangana will never forgive this betrayal,” Bandi Sanjay shared his reaction on ‘X’.

At a public meeting in Warangal on May 6, 2022, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi unveiled the Rythu Declaration. The promises include a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver and a Rs 15,000 direct benefit per acre annually.

These promises formed part of the six guarantees announced by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at a public meeting in Hyderabad on September 17, 2023.

In 2018, the then-BRS government launched Rythu Bandhu. Under the scheme, then claimed to be the only scheme of its kind in the country, the farmers were getting Rs.10,000 as investment support for every acre annually.

About 65 lakh farmers were getting assistance in two equal instalments for two crop seasons (Khariff and Rabi). The BRS government was spending around Rs.16,000 crore annually and it claimed to have disbursed over Rs 72,000 crore in 10 crop seasons.

As tenant farmers were not covered by Rythu Bandhu, the Congress party has promised to cover them under Rythu Bharosa. There are an estimated 17 lakh tenant farmers in the state.

During the Assembly elections, the BRS too had promised that the investment support under ‘Rythu Bandhu’ will be increased to Rs 15,000 in a phased manner. It promised to increase the amount to Rs 12,000 in the first year.

Ever since the Congress came to power in December 2023, it has been under pressure from the opposition to honour its commitment to implement six guarantees in 100 days.

The opposition claims that even after one year the guarantees remained unfulfilled while the government claims that it already implemented several promises and the process was on to implement the remaining.

Both BRS and BJP dispute the government’s claim that it waived all farm loans of up to Rs.2 lakh and say that many farmers were still waiting for the loan waiver. The government claimed it waived farm loans of 25 lakh farmers by crediting over Rs 21,000 crore directly into their accounts.

The opposition says the Congress had promised Rs 500 bonus per quintal for paddy in addition to the MSP but after coming to power the bonus was restricted to only a fine variety of rice.

Chief Minister Reddy attributed the delay in implementing guarantees to empty coffers the Congress government inherited.

He stated that on June 2, 2014, when Telangana state was formed, the state had Rs 16,000 crore surplus budget while its debts were only Rs. 69,000 crore but when the BRS was ousted from power after 10 years, the debts mounted to Rs 7.5 lakh crore. The state is repaying Rs 6,500 crore every month.

The Chief Minister recently admitted that the State’s monthly revenue of around Rs 18,500 crore was insufficient to meet the requirements and the State will require at least Rs. 30,000 crore a month if it has to fulfil all its commitments.

The Chief Minister claimed that immediately after coming to power, his government paid Rs 7,625 crore to farmers under Rythu Bandhu which was kept pending by the previous government.

Two days after taking charge, the Congress government launched free bus rides for women in State Road Transport Corporation buses and also enhanced annual coverage under Rajiv Arogyasri, a health insurance scheme for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to Rs10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh.

During 2023, the government implemented a few more promises including a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh, 200 units of free electricity to each household and cooking gas cylinder for Rs.500 for BPL families.

While announcing the launch of ‘Rythu Bharosa’ after the Cabinet meeting on Saturday, the Chief Minister also declared that the government would also give Rs 12,000 per year to landless farm labourers. This scheme would be called ‘Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa’.

The Cabinet also decided to issue new ration cards for all eligible families. All three schemes will be implemented from January 26 to commemorate the completion of 75 years of the Constitution’s adoption.

–IANS

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