The State government is likely to make an announcement regarding crediting of amounts of ₹5,000 an acre into farmers’ accounts under its flagship scheme — Rythu Bandhu.
The government, in the last 10 phases of implementation of the scheme. had credited the amounts at the commencement of crop season. But the announcement has been delayed for the current kharif season. “Nothing specific. Announcement will be made any time soon,” a senior Finance department official said when asked about the reasons behind the delays in making payments under Rythu Bandhu.
The government, sources said, is in the process of mobilising resources to the tune of over ₹4,000 crore that should be credited into the accounts of over 70 lakh farmers for this instalment of the Rythu Bandhu. The Government raised ₹4,000 crore open market borrowings in the auction of securities conducted by the Reserve Bank of India this month, leaving scope for raising another ₹ 2,500 crore by June end.
The government in the indicative calendar given to the RBI expressed its intent to raise ₹12,500 crore OMBs during April-Jun quarter and had raised ₹6,000 crore in five instalments till the end of May. In addition to crediting amounts into the accounts of farmers already registered under the scheme, the process for identification of pattadars on Podu lands is underway and this is likely to add tribal farmers for the first time as beneficiaries under the scheme.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, during the recent collectors’ conference instructed them to issue pattas for Podu lands. Accordingly, the collectors are working out modalities for issuing pattas for 4.01 lakh acres podu lands in the enjoyment of tribal farmers in close to 2,850 villages. Once the enumeration is completed, a total of 1.5 lakh beneficiaries would be added to the Rythu Bandhu scheme leading to a significant rise in the expenditure under the account.
