Beneficiaries grin after encashing the cheques they received under Rythu Bandhu scheme in Karimnagar | Express photo
WARANGAL: While the TRS government has been touting the Rythu Bandhu Scheme(RBS) as a revolution in the field of agriculture in the country, the newly-formed Telangana Jana Samithi(TJS) chief M Kondandaram thinks that the scheme is going to benefit non-agricultural land owners rather than real farmers. He said that according to state government data for the last Kharif season, there are about 97 lakh acres of cultivated land and that the government distributed financial assistance under RBS for 1.4 crore acres, an excess of 43 lakh acres, causing a loss of `1,720 crore to the exchequer.
Kodanadaram, who was in the city on Sunday to attend a TJS training programme for Warangal and Khammam district party members, stated that the government issued cheques for lands that were not even being cultivated. “The data clearly shows that financial assistance was also given for uncultivated lands. This has benefited realtors and rich people who purchased large chunks of rural lands much in advance. This has defeated the very purpose of the scheme,”he said.
Stating that the government should extend RBS to tenant farmers, the TJS chief said that the very purpose of the scheme was to help farmers who really needed financial assistance and tenant farmers must be included in the scheme. “It’s high time that the government plugged the loop holes in the scheme and extended the benefit to the really needy,”he said.
Explaining about his party’s future course of action, Kondandaram said that they were training members about the rights of the citizens and government welfare schemes, so that they could educate the people on them. “We are keeping them up-to-date on necessary information so that they can go and educate people,”he said.
Cheques distributed to 1.58L farmers in Karimnagar
Karimnagar: About Rs 128.91 lakh of investment support was distributed to 1.58 lakh farmers in the district under Rythu Bandhu Scheme. The cheque distribution process concluded on May 18. Public representatives went to respective houses to hand over the cheques to farmers who were not in a position to come to distribution centres in person. Those whose names were absent from the distribution lists could apply for corrections at mandal revenue offices.
