Hyderabad: Rythu Bharosa Scheme to Launch During Sankranthi
The state government is gearing up to launch the Rythu Bharosa scheme during the Sankranthi festival. A Cabinet sub-committee, led by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, submitted recommendations on Thursday. The scheme will benefit only “active farmers,” including those who are income taxpayers, without restrictions based on the size of their landholding.
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The sub-committee decided against setting a limit on the extent of land ownership. This means all farmers actively engaged in farming, regardless of the size of their land, will be eligible for the scheme. However, the benefits will not apply to unused farmlands. Earlier, the government had proposed a limit of 10 acres, but this was not included in the final recommendations.
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One of the key suggestions by the committee is the implementation of geo-mapping for agricultural lands every season. Farmers will also need to submit fresh applications for the Rythu Bharosa scheme at the start of each agricultural season.
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The sub-committee proposed that eligible farmers should receive an input cost of ₹7,500 per acre. Applications for the scheme will be invited before every agricultural season. These recommendations will be presented in the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday for a final decision.
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According to officials, the Agriculture Department will begin accepting applications from farmers on January 5. Once the applications are reviewed, the financial assistance will be directly deposited into the farmers’ bank accounts.
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Data from the previous Rythu Bandhu scheme indicates that 64.75 lakh farmers owned up to 5 acres of land. Of these, 24.24 lakh farmers held less than one acre, 17.72 lakh owned two acres, 11.30 lakh had three acres, 6.54 lakh tilled four acres, and 4.92 lakh cultivated five acres. The new scheme is expected to benefit active farmers across these categories.
