HYDERABAD: Stating that tenant farmers have no right to agricultural land, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has reiterated that Rythu Bandhu, the investment support scheme for farmers, will not be extended to tenant farmers. “Rythu Bandhu is meant for farmers. It is not tenant Bandhu,” he remarked at a review meeting held with officials at Pragathi Bhavan here on Saturday.
“It is meaningless to demand that the Rythu Bandhu scheme should be made applicable to tenant farmers. Such an argument is against all legal norms. The government is implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme to extend investment support of Rs 8,000 per acre to all the farmers in the state. This scheme is extended to every farmer without any discrimination.” Rao further stated that the reason for not extending Rythu Bandhu to tenant farmers was that there was no clarity on who a tenant farmer was.
“The government does not have details of tenant farmers. Nowhere in the official records have details of tenant farmers mentioned. Similarly, no farmer ever recognises a tenant farmer. The so-called tenant farmers will not have any right to the land,” he clarified.
“It is not possible to distribute money to everyone. Some people are arguing that those who have no right to the land and who do not possess any document to prove the right are also to be provided with investment support. Legally this is not acceptable. If money is paid from government treasury to any one who has no right to the land it becomes a fault. When everything is going smoothly and legally, it is not right and proper to find fault with the government,” the chief minister said.