Rythu Bandhu assistance to stop for 19 lakh acres; fate of input subsidy for next ‘Kharif’ too hangs fire

HYDERABAD: Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka while making no specific allocation for the most/sought-after investment support scheme ‘Rytu Bandhu’ for farmers has made it clear that the new Government will rationalise the scheme by removing uncultivated land from the list.

At present, 1.52 crore farmers are benefitting from the Rytu Bandhu scheme. The BRS Government allocated Rs 11,704 crore for the Rytu Bandhu investment support scheme for farmers during the 2023-24 fiscal year. The Government allocated Rs 15,075 crore for Rythu Bandhu in 2022-23.

The BRS Government spent Rs 19,712 crore for the agriculture sector in 2021-22, Rs 27,228 crore in 2022-23 (Revised estimates), Rs 23,628 crore in 2022-23 (Budget estimates) and Rs 29,164 crore in 2023-24 (Budget estimates).

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“Though it is a welcome gesture, it is unfortunate that this assistance went into the pockets of the rich landlords and ineligible people. Rythu Bandhu's assistance was given to lands that were not cultivable, lands that had hillock areas, and even roads. The biggest beneficiaries were landlords owning huge tracts of lands but who never cultivated them and also real estate dealers holding thousands of acres,” the Finance Minister said in the Assembly on Saturday.

He reiterated the government’s decision to review the scheme and implement Rythu Bharosa (name changed) to the eligible beneficiaries at the rate of Rs 15,000 per acre.

Accordingly, the Government would opt for a resurvey of the actual beneficiaries who cultivate the land. It was estimated that owners of 19 lakh acres of uncultivated land received Rs 1,900 crore.

However, in actual practice, the farmer who has five acres of land as per records might not be cultivating all his land in one go. He or she might opt to leave it fallow for a season. Similarly, the land might not have an irrigation facility to take up the crop season after season.

During the BRS rule. the Government paid the assistance irrespective of the status of the land (cultivated or fallow) keeping in view the larger benefit of the farmers.

If the new condition is implemented, many farmers who were forced to leave the land uncultivated for a season or two might lose the Rytu Bharosa assistance. Only those who will cultivate every single ace they own will receive the benefit.

This naturally impacts the farmers’ families and their economy.

The Congress Government is trying to deprive a large number of farmers by pruning the number in the garb of rationalising the same.

This ‘fine print’ calls for resurvey of the lands. This appears to be a ploy to delay the implementation of the programme, thus the fate of receiving farm input assistance hangs in balance even for the next Vaanakalam (Kharif) season.

The identification of tenant farmers is a Herculean task. With the State Government proposing to replacing the Dharani portal and introducing old deleted columns on tenancy with ‘Bhoomatha’ portal, the procedural delays are likely to dent the prospect of gamers receiving assistance even in the next season.

Though the government had constituted a committee and holding frequent meetings on the ‘Dharani’ portal, rationalising revenue records becomes cumbersome.

Identifying farm labourers is another major task that the Congress Government would have to address for the Rs. 12,000 assistance.

The State Government has to enumerate the extent of farms under paddy cultivation for implementing the Rs.500 bonus for the crop.