HYDERABAD: Rythu Bandhu cash incentive for Rabi season will be credited to the bank accounts of farmers between December 27 to January 7, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced this after a meeting with officials at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday. Rao also directed the officials of the Finance Department to release `7,300 crore for the Rythu Bandhu payments.
He asked the officials concerned to disburse Rythu Bandhu amounts to all farmers. Rythu Bandhu amounts would be given first for the farmers having less extent of farm lands. Farmers having large extent of lands would be given money at the end. But, all farmers would get the money during the 10-day period.
The State government was providing `5,000 per acre for farmers towards investment support. Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Finance Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, Agriculture Secretary B Janardhan Reddy and other officials were present in the review meeting.Meanwhile, MLC Gorati Venkanna extended invite for his daughter’s wedding to Chief Minister at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday.
FCI stopping State from paying bonus to farmers: Agri Min
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy alleged that the Food Corporation India (FCI) guidelines were preventing State governments from paying bonus to paddy farmers over and above the minimum support price (MSP). When the State governments were giving bonus, the Centre should have commended them. Instead, the Centre was not allowing the States to pay more to farmers, he alleged. Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Union president M Rajender extended support to the Bharat Bandh and demanded that the State exempts them from participating in office duties on Tuesday.