HYDERABAD: The state government on Thursday announced that it would begin disbursing nearly Rs 9,000 crore under the Rythu Bharosa scheme from June 30, constitute a Cabinet sub-committee to examine the implications of the Centre’s proposed changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) under the VB-GRAMG framework, and press the Union government for a larger share of urea produced at the Ramagundam Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) plant for Telangana farmers.
The decisions were taken at an informal Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat. Briefing the media later, Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Thummala Nageswara Rao and Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) said the chief minister would formally launch the Rythu Bharosa payments at a Rythu Sammelanam in Madhira, Khammam district, on June 30.
TG to seek larger share of urea produced at RFCL
The government will transfer around Rs 9,000 crore directly into farmers’ accounts over nine days as crop investment support for the ongoing Kharif 2026-27 season.
Seethakka said the Cabinet had decided to constitute a sub-committee comprising Uttam, Nageswara Rao, Vivek Venkataswamy and herself to study the proposed MGNREGS reforms. The committee will examine developments in other states, assess the financial burden on Telangana and recommend Telangana’s future course of action.
She said the government would also write to the Centre opposing VB-GRAMG. The minister said the government was concerned that some of the proposed changes could reduce employment opportunities while increasing the financial burden on states. The committee would consult stakeholders and submit its recommendations shortly, she added.
Nageswara Rao said the Cabinet had decided to seek a larger share of urea produced at the RFCL plant in Ramagundam instead of allowing substantial quantities to be transported to distant states. Allocating locally produced fertiliser to Telangana farmers would reduce transportation costs and help prevent shortages during the agricultural season, he said.
He said the Centre had assured monthly allocations of around two lakh metric tonnes of urea but had not supplied the committed quantities in recent months.
The minister also expressed concern over what he described as inadequate procurement of Telangana-grown crops by Central agencies. He said that while the state had procured large quantities of paddy and around 15 lakh MT of maize, Central agencies had not procured crops to the extent expected under the Minimum Support Price framework.
He demanded that the Centre ensure procurement through agencies such as the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for paddy, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for cotton and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) for other crops. He said Telangana ministers and MPs would soon visit New Delhi to raise the issue.
In view of forecasts indicating below-normal rainfall and possible dry spells, Nageswara Rao advised farmers not to rush into sowing immediately after the first rains. He urged them to follow the guidance of Agriculture department officials and ensure adequate soil moisture before sowing. At least two spells of around 7 mm rainfall each would generally be necessary to create suitable moisture conditions for germination and crop establishment, he said.
Bonus for seven fine-rice varieties to continue
Uttam said the Cabinet had also approved the continuation of the State government’s bonus for seven fine-rice varieties — BPT-5204, RNR-15048, HMT Sona, Jai Sriram, KNM-1638, WGL-44 and KNM-7715. He said the decision was based on market demand and consumer preferences. These varieties account for nearly 83% of the fine rice cultivated in Telangana and enjoy strong demand even outside the government procurement system, he added.
Uttam said the Cabinet had resolved to urge the Centre to expedite approvals required for Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-II. The government sought immediate sanction of the proposed Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) loan for the takeover of Metro Phase-I and appealed to Union Ministers and BJP MPs from Telangana to support the project.
Highlighting Telangana’s paddy procurement during the recent Rabi season, Uttam said the state procured nearly 80 lakh MT of paddy and transferred around Rs 18,000 crore directly into farmers’ accounts within 48 hours. He said approximately Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 39,000 crore had been paid to paddy farmers during the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2025-26.
The Cabinet also decided to provide free travel in TGSRTC buses for students appearing for the upcoming NEET examination. Around 2.95 lakh students are expected to appear for the test at about 2,008 centres across the state. Students will be allowed to travel free of cost on production of their hall tickets.