Hyderabad: Farmers in Telangana to Receive Festival Gift
The Telangana government has announced plans to implement the “Rythu Bharosa” scheme starting from Sankranti. Chief Minister A. Revanth declared this at a media conference on Sunday, describing it as a festival gift for farmers. He emphasized that his Congress-led government is committed to fulfilling all the promises made during the elections.
To finalize the details of the scheme, a Cabinet subcommittee has been formed under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. The subcommittee will submit a report, which will be discussed in the upcoming Assembly session. Under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, the government will provide an annual financial support of Rs 15,000 per acre to farmers and tenant farmers, and Rs 12,000 to agricultural workers. This initiative is part of the Congress party’s six poll guarantees.
Criticism of the Previous Government
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy criticized the previous BRS government for mismanaging the state’s finances. He claimed that Telangana, which once had a surplus budget, was left with a debt of Rs 7 lakh crore when K. Chandrasekhar Rao stepped down as Chief Minister in December 2023. The current government, he said, is paying Rs 6,500 crore every month towards debt servicing, including both interest and principal amounts.
Revanth also alleged that the financial status of the state was never disclosed during the BRS regime. He pointed out that former Finance Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao, T. Harish Rao, and Eatala Rajender did not reveal the precarious financial situation. The truth, he said, only came to light when the Congress government released a white paper on state finances.
Farm Loan Waiver and Farmer Welfare
The CM highlighted his government’s achievements in benefiting farmers. Unlike the previous regime, which he claimed failed to fulfill the loan waiver promise, the Congress government has implemented a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh. This initiative has benefited more than 25 lakh farmers, costing the state nearly Rs 21,000 crore. Revanth Reddy described this as an unprecedented step in independent India, aimed at improving the lives of farmers.
He urged people not to trust the statements made by leaders of the BRS and BJP, accusing them of misleading the public. “They were behaving like demons, spitting venom, and making baseless allegations against the government,” he said.
Challenge to BJP and Liquor Policy Debate
The Chief Minister also challenged the BJP to present a record of the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014 and show how many have been fulfilled. He stated that his ministers would soon provide a detailed report on the Congress government’s achievements over the past year.
Revanth Reddy also responded to Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy’s criticism of the state government’s liquor policy. He pointed out that BJP-ruled states like Gujarat have failed to enforce prohibition effectively. Calling Kishan Reddy a “slave of Gujarat,” the CM asserted that the Union Minister has no right to interfere in Telangana’s policies.
