Telangana Government Issues New Guidelines for Rythu Bandhu Scheme; Details Inside

Telangana government on Tuesday (16^th June 2020) issued fresh guidelines for implementation of Rythu Bandhu scheme, benefiting more than 60 lakh farmers across the State. Fresh pattadars would be considered from next financial year and those eligible would be identified based on data obtained from Chief Commissioner of Land Administration for the current fiscal.

According to the guidelines, about Rs 5,000/acres per season would be given to more than 60 lakh farmers in the State for the current financial year. In addition to the pattadar farmers, the scheme would be extended to the pattadars of Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) and to 621 pattadars of an endowments land belonging to Sri Ranganayaka Swamy temple in Kasulapally village in Peddapalli district. Priority would be given to cultivators who own lesser extent of land in total, during distribution of the Rythu Bandhu farm incentive.

A State-level monitoring committee chaired by B Janardhan Reddy, Agriculture Secretary, has been set up to review and check the implementation of the scheme in every season. Other members of the committee are the Commissioner & Director of Agriculture, Convener of State Level Bankers Committee, Special Secretary of Finance department and State Information Officer of National Informatics Center.

Officials have been asked to give wide publicity for the ‘Give it up’ campaign so as to encourage farmers to give up the financial aid being provided by the State government under Rythu Bandhu scheme. These farmers have to fill an application and then submit it to the Agricultural Extension officers /Mandal Agricultural Officer in this regard. The amount received from such cases would be transferred to Telangana State Rythu Bandhu Samithi & used for farmers’ welfare.

It must be noted that the auditing of the scheme will be done by the relevant authorities including Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) and farmers can contact the grievance redressal cell for getting any issues resolved. The officials have also been told to dispose the grievances in thirty days, after investigating each case in consultation with Revenue department under guidance of District Collector.