HYDERABAD: The State government will deposit Rs 7,600 crore in the bank accounts of around 65 lakh farmers under the Rythu Bandhu scheme from December 28 for Rabi crops. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday gave directions to Finance Minister T Harish Rao in this regard. The funds will be credited to the accounts of all farmers by Sankranti.
Under the scheme, the State government is providing crop investment to the farmers at the rate of Rs 10,000 per acre for both the ‘Vanakalam’ and ‘Yasangi’ seasons. The scheme considered a revolutionary idea in the country’s agriculture sector, is delivering optimum results, a CMO release said. The government sources recalled that the Central government stopped the release of Rs 40,000 crore, the rightful due of the Telangana State, under various schemes and programmes.
The Centre was trying to make the people of Telangana suffer by not releasing the funds owed to the State and caused financial problems. Despite hurdles being created by the Centre, Telangana is not compromising on the welfare of farmers and the development of the farming sector and releasing Rythu Bandhu funds on time to the farmers every season, the sources pointed out.
The CM directed the Finance Department to release Rythu Bandhu funds to all farmers in full and on time without any deductions. Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said in a statement that so far the State government deposited Rs 58,000 crore in the accounts of farmers in nine instalments under the scheme. If the Rabi amounts to be released from December, were included, the total amount deposited in the farmers’ accounts would touch Rs 66,000 crore, the minister said.