Hyderabad: On Tuesday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced that the state government had invested Rs 1.04 lakh crore in farmer welfare over the past 18 months.
At the Rythu Nestam event, held to celebrate the distribution of Rs 9,000 crore in just nine days through the Rythu Bharosa scheme, the CM highlighted that the government prioritizes farmers, women, Telangana martyrs, students, and youth.
Revanth Reddy detailed the spending on various programs, such as Rythu Bharosa for financial support, farm loan waivers, free electricity for agriculture, sprinklers, drip systems, ST Giri Vikasam pump sets, MSP, and bonuses on superfine rice. He mentioned the Congress government’s fulfillment of its promise to waive farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh, benefitting 25 lakh farmers by freeing them from debt with an expenditure of Rs 25,000 crore.
The government also assured farmers by purchasing every grain of paddy at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), with funds released within 48 hours and a Rs 500 bonus on superfine rice.
Revanth Reddy stressed that Telangana’s struggles have always focused on land and farming rights. He reminisced about Sonia Gandhi and the former chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who introduced free power for farmers.
Criticizing former chief minister and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), Reddy challenged him to a debate on the decline in agriculture, incomplete irrigation projects, and the Krishna and Godavari water-sharing issues during BRS’s ten years in power.
He criticized KCR for leaving the economy in poor condition, comparing it to a cancer patient. Reddy stated that from a Rs 16,000 crore surplus at state formation, Telangana now faces Rs 8 lakh crore in debt after a decade of BRS rule.
Revanth Reddy accused KCR and his associates of amassing more wealth than the Nizams, while the state fell into debt. He claimed that KCR misled farmers with a loan waiver scheme of Rs 1 lakh, including interest.
On government jobs, Reddy said 60,000 vacancies had been filled, and appointment letters were distributed. He challenged KCR to disclose the number of vacancies filled during BRS’s ten years.
He alleged that KCR allowed Andhra Pradesh to advance several projects on the Krishna River, neglecting Telangana’s pending irrigation projects. The state government warned the Centre against approving the Godavari-Banakacherla project proposed by AP, he added.
