After successfully implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme in the first year that fetched him tremendous political mileage in the December 2018 assembly elections, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is said to be contemplating restricting it to only some sections.
According to sources, the officials reportedly told KCR that it would not be possible to continue the Rythu Bandhu scheme to all sections of farmers permanently.
Moreover, the TRS government has already increased the amount under the scheme from Rs 8,000 per year to Rs 10,000 per year for each farmer. This will increase the burden heavily.
Apparently, the chief minister is also understood to have agreed with the officials to impose certain restrictions on the scheme, like fixing a ceiling of eight or 10 acres for each farmer to be eligible for the benefit.
Interestingly, the budgetary allocation for Rythu Bandhu remained the same in 2018-19 and 2019-20, though the amount has been increased.
The sad part of the whole episode is that several farmers across the state are still to get the amount under Rythu Bandhu scheme.
According to an estimate by the Congress leaders, more than 50% farmers were yet to get the amount even as the crop season has reached its peak.
PCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy also criticized the TRS government for not initiating the process to waive off crop loans up to Rs. 1 lakh for each farmer.
He said that the banks were not giving loans to farmers due to over dues and non-clearance of previous crop loans and they also did not get the promised support from State Government under Rythu Bandhu scheme.
He accused the TRS Government of pushing lakhs of farmers under bad debts and severe financial strain.
He demanded that all dues under Rythu Bandhu scheme be cleared immediately besides waiving off crop loans.