HYDERABAD: The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) on Thursday said that the State government has a past record of poor implementation of farmers’ schemes, including Rythu Bandhu and crop insurance schemes.
During a round table session on ‘Telangana Budget 2020-21’ organised here, it claimed that most of the State’s schemes are meant for landowners, leaving tenant farmers in the lurch.
Though Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has repeatedly been talking about recognising the tenant farmers, their problems have only increased, they said, adding that about 30 per cent of Rythu Bandhu allocation is now going to non-cultivators.
They demanded that the tenant farmers should be included in Rythu Bandhu scheme.
“The State government always points fingers at the Centre. But the State government itself has been extremely negligent in implementing the regular farmer schemes,” they claimed.
“The role of the State government in Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is very important. Every year, there is a major delay in the release of the State government’s share of insurance premium, leading to the companies not entertaining the farmers’ insurance claims ,” said AIKSCC national member, Kirankumar Vissa.
The committee also alleged that there is a huge gap between “allocation and expenditure, and promises and delivery”.
Talking about the small farming sector, they added that the State government needs to make a major allocation for market intervention and price support.
“So far, the State government has allocated only about Rs 100 crore for this purpose. This should be increased to at least `2,000 crores,” they said.
The union expressed the hope that the State government will look into these matters during the upcoming Budget session.