Centre's Rs 60 Cr NFBS Meant for Poor Underutilised

 Adilabad: Funds to the tune of Rs 60 crore have accumulated over the years in the National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) from the Central government as very few people are applying for the scheme. The scheme is meant for poor families in tribal and rural areas, especially in cases of snakebite, deaths due to illness, lightning, or accidents. They will get Rs 20,000 as one-time financial assistance.

The NFBS provides financial assistance when the main earning member of a family, man or woman, dies for any reason. Farmers, tenant farmers, agricultural labourers, landless labourers, and urban workers are eligible for the benefit.

Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, and Mancherial districts are among those lagging behind in extending benefits to poor families. The Central government allocates Rs 15.58 crore annually for 7,794 eligible applicants from Telangana under the NFBS.

Officials from the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) said they are ready to provide financial assistance of Rs 20,000 each to around 30,000 eligible families with the funds already available and are inviting applications. SERP oversees the scheme, and district officials are responsible for its effective execution.

Districts with high tribal and Scheduled Caste populations are among the poorest performers in implementation. B. Kondal Reddy of Rythu Swarajya Vedika said the scheme has been neglected since 2017, when the previous government introduced the Rythu Bheema scheme, offering Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to farmers. As a result, officials lost focus on NFBS and its beneficiaries.

He added that poor families facing financial crises are unable to apply due to lack of awareness in rural and tribal areas, while response from plain regions is relatively better. Reddy suggested launching awareness campaigns through Self-Help Groups (SHGs), MNREGS workers, and urban labour networks.

Between January 2024 and October 2025, the state government received 20,602 applications, of which 20,527 were found eligible and 75 ineligible. Nalgonda district topped with 11,869 applications, while Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Rangareddy recorded zero applications.

Several districts fared poorly, with only single-digit applications from Bhadradri-Kothagudem (8), Medak (8), Nirmal (8), Jagtial (4), and Mahbubabad (1). Eleven districts submitted double-digit applications, including Mancherial (34), while Adilabad ranked eighth with 403 applications uploaded under the scheme.

A lack of awareness among both officials and the public about the scheme and the application process is seen as a key reason for poor implementation. Sources said nearly Rs 60 crore remains unutilised with the state government, and officials must popularise the scheme to ensure eligible families benefit.