VIJAYAWADA: The State government has decided to extend Rythu Bharosa, a scheme intended to provide financial aid to the tune of Rs 12,500 a year to each farmer to take up agriculture operations, to tenant farmers also.
The decision was announced by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the first meeting of Agriculture Mission held at his camp office at Tadepalli on Saturday.
The government recently formed the Agriculture Mission to take care of the sector with the Chief Minister as its chairman and YSRC farmers’ wing leader MVS Nagi Reddy as vice-chairman and some of the ministers, officials and experts as its members.
After the meeting, Nagi Reddy told reporters that the Chief Minister gave instructions to extend Rythu Bharosa to tenant farmers and amend the Acts, if needed, in the ensuing session of the AP Legislature for the same.
He said the Rs 3,000 price stabilisation fund announced by the government to provide support to farmers will be operated under the Agriculture Mission. “Measures are being taken for supplying nine-hour power to farmers in day time. A sum of Rs 1,700 crore will be spent towards modernisation of 60 per cent feeders for the purpose. The Chief Minister made it clear that each and every promise made be him to the farmers will be fulfilled. Steps will be taken for the distribution of input subsidy and supplying seeds to farmers,’’ Nagi Reddy said.
The members of the mission appealed to the CM to set up a laboratory for testing the quality of seeds. The panel members also suggested to the government to conduct elections to farmers’ cooperative societies as those nominated by the erstwhile TDP government are still enjoying the positions.