VIJAYAWADA: After initial payment of financial aid under Rythu Bharosa in the State, Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission (APSAM) is taking steps to solve certain problems in the implementation of the scheme.
"Certain issues came to our notice after the implementation of the scheme. One is about tenant farmers and the other is about farmers who were clubbed with their tax-paying children though both are living separately," APSAM vice-chairman MVS Nagi Reddy told TNIE.
He claimed that the AP government was the only government in the entire country extending financial aid to tenant farmers. Even the Centre, under its scheme Kisan Samman, was not giving aid to tenant farmers, he pointed out. According to him, of total - 46,50,629 farmer families who got financial aid under ‘YSR Rythu Bharosa’ scheme, 1,58,116 are tenant farmers.
Under the scheme, the government will extend the financial assistance of Rs 13,500 per annum to landowners and tenant farmers from BC, SC, ST and minorities in three instalments. The amount includes Rs 6,000 per annum to each family being provided by the Centre under its Income Support Scheme for farmers.
"Some of the tenant farmers were not covered as the agreement with landowners was not signed. There are certain apprehensions among the farmers who are leasing out their lands to tenant farmers to sign the agreement. We are clearing those doubts and efforts are being made to cover all tenant farmers under the scheme," he said.
According to Nagireddy, they came across certain cases in which children of the farmers are working elsewhere and are tax assesses and during the previous government’s household survey, both the farmers and their children were taken as one unit. As a result, some farmers, though they are eligible, were not able to avail the scheme.
“We also came across cases of farmers not getting their Aadhar cards linked to bank accounts and double entries. In some cases, farmers getting the aid under Central scheme have been excluded from Rythu Bharosa. These hiccups in the scheme are being ironed out and in the due course, we will implement the scheme in a foolproof manner,” he said.