HYDERABAD: Farmers with more than 25 acres of land may soon be excluded from the State’s Rythu Bandhu scheme, according to sources, who added that the government is considering taking a decision on this to save money.
From this Kharif season, the amount given under the Rythu Bandhu investment support scheme will be increased from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per acre, and officials have made arrangements to disburse around Rs 6,000 crore to farmers by depositing the amount directly into their bank accounts.
The government may exclude rich farmers from the scheme by imposing a cap of 25 acres, sources said. Of the approximately 55 lakh farmers in the State, 90 per cent do not own more than 10 acres of land. As many as 1,66,833 farmers own between 10 and 25 acres of land, and they collectively possess 23.16 lakh acres. The amount required for these farmers is Rs 2,316.9 crore.
Those who own more than 25 acres, meanwhile, number just 15,775, and collectively hold 6.21 lakh acres of land. The amount required for them is Rs 621.99 crore.
Introducing a ceiling of 25 acres for the scheme would help the government save Rs 500 to Rs 600 crore each crop season, and if the cap is lowered to 10 acres, the savings could shoot up to Rs 2,900 crore.