HYDERABAD: Asserting that crop loan waiver scheme was extended to all the eligible beneficiaries in the state and describing his government as ‘farmer friendly’, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday announced the implementation of Rythu Bharosa scheme after Sankranti.
“We will disburse Rythu Bharosa funds after Sankranti. Soniamma’s guarantees will be fulfilled by the Indiramma government. No force can stop this,” the chief minister said, while addressing a press conference at his residence on Sunday.
The chief minister’s announcement on rolling out Rythu Bharosa scheme, an initiative to increase subsidies from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 annually, is one of the six guarantees of the Congress government. The announcement also comes amidst criticism from opposition over the discontinuation of the Rythu Bandhu scheme introduced by the previous BRS government.
Revanth highlighted that his government has released Rs 7,625 crore towards the pending arrears of crop loan waiver pertaining to Kharif 2023.
He said that the Cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and ministers T Nageshwara Rao, D Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has finalised the terms and references for Rythu Bharosa and the proposal will be tabled in the upcoming Assembly winter session.
“We promised a crop loan waiver and delivered it. Similarly, we will implement Rythu Bharosa with the same commitment,” he asserted.
Stating that the crop loan waiver scheme is unprecedented, which allows waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh, the chief minister said it was a historic achievement in independent India. Under this initiative, Rs 17,869 crore was credited to the accounts of 22.22 lakh farmers, including Rs 2,747 crore in the fourth phase. He noted that a total of 25.35 lakh farmers’ families had benefited from Rs 20,616 crore financial assistance.
Revanth criticised the previous BRS government for leaving behind a debt burden of Rs 7 lakh crore but emphasized that the Congress government has prioritised farmers’ welfare, clearing Rs 7,625 crore loan arrears for Kharif 2023.
Revealing details of the crop loan waiver implemented by the BRS government, Revanth alleged that out of the Rs 11,000 crore allocated, Rs 8,578 crore were paid toward loan interest, while only Rs 3,331 crore went toward the principal amount. He accused the BRS of funding its scheme by auctioning the Outer Ring Road (ORR).
Responding to Union Minister and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy’s accusations through a chargesheet, the chief minister labelled him as a “Gujarat Gulam” (Gujarat Slave) and stated that Kishan Reddy has no right to speak. He challenged Kishan to debate on the implementation of Congress and BJP manifestos, adding that he could also expose the falsity of BJP’s claims of alcohol prohibition in Gujarat.
When asked about the reduction in estimates from over Rs 31,000 crore to Rs 20,680 crore, Revanth said that bankers had initially provided inflated estimates by including loans under various heads. However, he assured that the government is willing to extend the scheme to farmers who were excluded for any reason. The CM also reiterated the continuity of the paddy bonus scheme and urged farmers to cultivate Telangana Sona and BPT varieties for local consumption, emphasising the government’s commitment to providing superfine rice through the public distribution system.