HYDERABAD: With no accurate figures in hand on the total extent of arable lands in Telangana, the State government has proposed a huge amount of Rs 12,000 crore in the State Budget 2018-19 under the Investment Support Scheme to farmers. The Revenue officials are yet to know the exact extent of under cultivation lands in TS.The State government will start distributing cheques for Rs 4,000 to each farmer per acre from April 19. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will launch the distribution programme formally on that day. Even if the total extent of agriculture land is one crore acres, the State government required just Rs 8,000 crore for two crops. However, a provision of Rs12,000 crore, an extra amount of Rs 4,000 crore, is made in the Budget estimates of 2018-19.
“We do not know the exact cultivable area in the state. The figures are yet to be known. We expect a requirement of Rs 5,000 crore in Kharif season and Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 4,000 crore in Rabi season. But, we have allocated Rs 12,000 crore in the Budget. This is only to instil confidence among farmers that there will be no dearth of funds and all farmers will get Rs 4,000 per acre without a problem,” an official told Express. If the provisional amount of Rs 12,000 crore is distributed at Rs 8,000 per acre for two crops, the total cultivable land comes to 1.5 crore acres in the state. But, the cultivable area is not so vast, said sources.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary SK Joshi on Monday directed the officials of Revenue department to ensure that the accurate details of cultivable lands, as per the recent purification of land records, should be made available by March 28. Joshi wanted the official to see that the total extent of land in a village, the details of number of farmers, survey numbers and bank account numbers of farmers, should be submitted to the government after getting them duly certified by the tahsildars. After the district collector concerned randomly checks the details, the government would start printing the cheques. All the cheques will reach the villages by April 15.