VISAKHAPATNAM: The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government on Monday enhanced the financial assistance to farmers under the YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme to Rs 13,500 from the earlier proposed Rs 12,500. The assistance which was initially intended to be implemented for four years was also extended to five years.
With the enhancement of the amount, each beneficiary will now get Rs 67,500 in five years. The scheme was originally planned for four years with a total aid of Rs 50,000 for each farmer family.
The total annual benefit of Rs 13,500 of the scheme, christened ‘YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan’, will be credited to the bank accounts of the farmers in three instalments so that they can make use of the amount for raising Kharif and rabi crops.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will formally launch the scheme at Kaktur village of Nellore district on Tuesday.
Reviewing Agriculture Mission with his cabinet colleagues, officials and farmers’ representatives in the Secretariat on Monday, the CM responded positively to the suggestion that the assistance be increased to Rs 13,500 and the government pay the same in three instalments – Rs 7,500 in May, Rs 4,000 for the Kharif harvesting/Rabi preparatory work and the remaining Rs 2,000 at the time of Sankranthi.
With this enhancement, every eligible family will be getting Rs 17,500 more in five years as the government also advanced the implementation of the welfare scheme by eight months from May 2020. Refuting the Opposition’s criticism that the government reduced the number of beneficiaries, the Chief Minister maintained that his government, in fact, had selected 51 lakh beneficiaries in a transparent manner.
“The previous TDP government, in its survey, had wrongly estimated that there were 43 lakh farmers (for PM Kisan scheme) and the data has many loopholes and irregularities at the entry-level itself. We have corrected and fine-tuned the data, including that of tenant farmers, and the number of beneficiaries now stands at 51 lakh. Besides, there are about three lakh tenant farmers belonging to SC, ST, BC and minorities who will also be covered under the scheme,’’ the CM maintained.
Responding to the criticism of the Opposition parties that the government was cheating the farmers by including the `6,000 being extended by the Centre in the Rythu Bharosa scheme, Jagan said that the State budget comprises of all the funds, loans and grants from the Centre. “The budget comprises of all the funds from Centre, loans and grants. This is a known fact and there is nothing to be suspected about it. We will uphold the federal spirit. It is unfortunate that leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu is raising a hue and cry over trivial things,’’ Jagan said.
The meeting was attended by Vice-Chairman of Agriculture Mission MVS Nagi Reddy, Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu, Magsaysay Award winner and well-known journalist on rural affairs Palagummi Sainath and representatives of various farmers’ unions.
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