VIJAYAWADA: Announcing rollout of Rythu Bharosa scheme from October 15, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy scrapped ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’, which was introduced by the previous TDP government just months before the elections.
Rythu Bharosa, one of the poll promises made by Jagan as part of ‘Navaratnas’ (nine gems), provides a financial assistance of Rs 12,500 to each farmer every year towards agriculture investment. The scheme envisages a total payment of Rs 50,000 each to farmers in four installments of Rs 12,500 per annum for four consecutive years to support them in taking up cultivation operations in the Kharif.
The scheme will cost the exchequer Rs 13,125 crore, including Rs 10,625 crore the government pays to farmers over a period of four years and Rs 2,500 crore all tenants farmers will get. Originally, Rythu Bharosa, was scheduled to be implemented from May, 2020, the start of Kharif season. However, the Chief Minister decided to launch it from the Rabi season that commences on October 15 this year.
Reviewing agriculture and allied sectors at his residence at Tadepalli on Thursday, Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed his anger over reports of spurious seeds flooding market and directed officials not to spare unscrupulous elements behind such activities.
As part of implementing another of his election promises, Jagan directed officials to set up village secretariats on October 2 and take steps for supplying seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to farmers through them. Making it clear that corruption at any level would not be tolerated, he appealed to officials to maintain transparency in administration. “I will facilitate officials who come up with ideas to achieve corruption-free government,” he said.
The CM focused his attention on the welfare of farmers during the review meeting and made it clear that welfare scheme benefits should reach over 62 per cent of the State population engaged in agriculture and allied sectors. He directed officials to ensure minimum support price (MSP) to farm produce and said that in the coming budget Rs 3,000 crore would be allocated for setting up of a market stabilisation fund.
In another decision, Jagan announced setting up of an Agriculture Mission comprising experts to study various problems facing agriculture and its allied fields and measure to be taken to tackle them.
He also directed officials to provide 200 borewell drilling rigs for every Assembly and Parliament constituency and a cold storage and a warehouse in each Assembly constituency. He also asked officials to take steps to revive sugar mills in cooperative sector.
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