HYDERABAD: National convenor of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan and political activist Yogendra Yadav has urged the state government to immediately recognise tenant farmers, calling it a moral responsibility and saying the move could become a model for other states.
He, along with MLC Prof Kodandaram and representatives of the Telangana Tenant Farmers’ Recognition Movement Committee, recently met Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka at Praja Bhavan and pressed for the implementation of the Telangana Land Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011.
The delegation, which included Vissa Kiran Kumar, B Kondal and Kanneganti Ravi, said tenant farmers continued to face difficulties due to the lack of official recognition. Yogendra Yadav said recognising tenant farmers was essential to ensure that benefits such as fertiliser subsidies, crop loans, market access and crop-loss compensation reached the actual cultivators.
He recalled that the issue had been raised during a public hearing in 2023 and expressed disappointment that recognition of tenant farmers had not yet begun despite assurances made earlier. He also said that a majority of tenant farmers belonged to SC, ST, BC and minority communities, making the issue important to the government’s social justice agenda.
Representatives of the committee submitted a proposal note on the recognition process to the Deputy CM, besides presenting findings from a statewide survey covering 55 villages. According to the committee, tenant farmers in all the surveyed villages were facing severe hardships due to the absence of official recognition.
Responding to the delegation, Vikramarka said that their demand was justified and assured them of his support. He said he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and work towards an early Cabinet decision to begin the process of recognising tenant farmers.