HYDERABAD: A lion’s share of the Rs 2.91 lakh crore Budget presented by the Congress government in the Assembly on Thursday—Rs 72,659 crore— went to agriculture.
Of the budgetary allocations for the agriculture sector, a total of Rs 26,000 crore was earmarked for the agriculture loan waiver scheme. On July 18, the state government started implementing the waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh taken by farmers.
As promised in their manifesto, the Congress government allocated funds to schemes including Rythu Bharosa, Rythu Bharosa for landless agriculture labourers and bonus for paddy.
Under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, which was earlier Rythu Bandhu, the government will enhance the crop input subsidy to Rs 15,000 per acre from Rs 10,000. According to the sources in the finance department, the break-up for the agriculture allied allocations is as follows:
The government has allocated Rs 26,000 crore for agriculture loan waiver, Rs 15,075 crore for Rythu Barosa, Rs 1,200 crore for Rythu Bharosa for landless agriculture labour, Rs 1,589 crore for Rythu Bima, Rs 1,300 crore for crop insurance, Rs 1,800 crore for bonus to paddy, Rs 11,500 crore to power subsidy, Rs 10,829 crore for irrigation and Rs 3,366 crore for other schemes.
In an interesting move, the state government will join the Pradhana Manthri Fasal Bhima Yojana (PMFBY) this year.