Hyderabad:
Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka criticized the BRS government while presenting the budget for the 2024-25 financial year on Thursday. He mentioned that Rs 80,440 crore were spent on the Rythu Bandhu scheme for farmers. However, he pointed out that financial assistance was given to many ineligible people, including owners of fallow lands and real estate businessmen. This misuse of funds, he said, wasted precious public resources.
To address this, Bhatti proposed that the Rythu Bandhu Scheme (RBS) with Rythu Bharosa should benefit real farmers by increasing the assistance to Rs 15,000 per year.
Bhatti also mentioned that a cabinet sub-committee had toured various districts and consulted farmers, experts, and intellectuals. The feedback from these consultations will be discussed in the Assembly to finalize the implementation details of the scheme. He also announced a new scheme to be launched this financial year, providing Rs 12,000 per year to improve the living and economic standards of agricultural laborers.
Highlighting the challenges faced by farmers due to natural calamities like droughts and floods, Bhatti said these events severely impact crops and cause economic losses. To mitigate this, the government has decided to extend farm insurance to farmers by joining the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). The state government will pay the crop insurance premium under this scheme.
He further noted that farmers suffer due to a lack of fair prices for their products. To address this, the government will encourage the cultivation of “Sanna” (super fine) rice. The government has identified 33 varieties of super fine rice and will provide a Rs 500 per quintal bonus to farmers who cultivate these varieties.
Lastly, Bhatti introduced the Rythu Nestham Scheme (RNS) to raise awareness among farmers about the latest technology. This scheme aims to share the experiences of progressive farmers with others and is organized in collaboration with scientists from Professor Jaya Shankar Telangana Agriculture University.
