Farmers Growing Ganja will Not Get Benefits of Rythu Bandhu Scheme

The Telangana government will not give any benefit of 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme to farmers who cultivate ganja illegally as part of its campaign to eradicate the practice. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, who presided over the state-level narcotics coordination conference, made the announcement on Tuesday. He added that the police had been given contemporary equipment to detect illegal drug movement.

According to DGP Mahender Reddy, complaints under the PD Act are being filed against peddlers.

Previously, a farmer from Mahabubnagar rural mandal, Telangana got his Rythu Bandhu  privileges revoked after it was found that he had produced cannabis plants in his agricultural field last October.

G Chandraiah, a resident of Mahabubnagar mandal's Manikonda village, was caught growing cannabis plants on his 1.5-acre farm by Excise and Prohibition and Revenue Department officials.

The issue was brought to the notice of district Collector S Venkata Rao. 

After Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's instruction to discontinue granting Rythu Bandhu to cannabis producers, the Collector ordered the termination of agricultural input assistance to the farmer.

Officials from the Agriculture Department notified Chandraiah that his name has been removed off the list of Rythu Bandhu recipients with immediate effect.

About Rythu Bandhu Scheme:

Telangana is a pioneer in farmer empowerment, with its Rythu Bandhu scheme. It is India's first farmer investment support initiative. Rythu Bandhu Scheme, commonly known as Farmers' Investment Support Scheme (FISS), is a welfare program run by the Telangana government that helps farmers invest in two crops every year.

The government is offering 5000 per acre every season to 60 lakh farmers to encourage agriculture investment twice a year, during the rabi (Yasangi) and kharif (Rainy) seasons. This is India's first direct farmer investment assistance initiative, in which cash is provided directly to farmers.