The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday urged Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to immediately release ₹7,500 crore pending payment under the ‘Rythu Bheema’ scheme since monsoon is ready to hit the State and farmers need money for commencement of agricultural operations.
In an open letter to the Chief Minister, party president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar also demanded the TRS government to take up the ₹1 lakh loan waiver scheme for the farmers as was promised during the elections in 2018 by the ruling party but yet to be implemented in full.
The BJP leader said anymore delay in issuing money to farmers under the ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme will force them to approach the private money lenders at high interest rates and getting trapped in debt. There have been many example of farmers resorting to the extreme acts in recent years, unable to pay and under pressure by the private money lenders, he said.
The TRS regime released Rythu Bandhu payments on time only in 2018 in the election year, and in the subsequent years, there has been an inordinate delay in ensuring the direct benefit transfers into the farmers accounts and whatever was released was done in instalments much to their chagrin.
He pointed out that farmers in Telangana have got funds as part of Kisan Sanman Nidhi from the Central government, and over the years, ₹1.82 lakh crore has been disbursed into the accounts of 11.30 crore farmers across the country. In Telangana, 29 lakh farmers have benefitted with ₹5,800 crore released or about ₹20,000 each moved into their bank accounts.
The Narendra Modi government has already announced enhancement of minimum support price for 14 crops including cotton, paddy, groundnut, pulses, maize and others from ₹100-₹523 per quintal. It is better for the State government to follow the Centre and ensure proper procurement, marketing and bonus for farmers produce rather than indulge in false propaganda against the Central government, he said.
Mr. Sanjay Kumar also advised the government to ensure that the Centre’s agriculture insurance scheme or ‘Fasal Bheema Yojana’ is implemented in Telangana too by paying its share for participating in the scheme.
Soil health cards have been introduced by the BJP government way back in 2014 with 23 crore cards issued in the country but they have not yet issued in Telangana as the “State government did not show interest” in the scheme, he charged and advised the Chief Minister to “come out of the farmhouse” and take steps to ensure that soil testing is taken up across the State for the farmers benefit as it would help in assessing the kind of crops to be raised, the letter added.
