Tummala: Govt Failed To Disburse Rs 2,000cr Rythu Bharosa in Rabi

Hyderabad: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Tuesday admitted that the state government could not release the final instalment of Rythu Bharosa assistance worth nearly Rs 2,000 crore during the recent rabi season because of financial constraints.

Speaking at the Rythu Bharosa funds release programme here, Nageswara Rao said the government had transferred Rs 5,653 crore to 71.05 lakh farmers owning up to two acres during the rabi season in two phases in March and April. The government could not release the third instalment of about Rs 2,000 crore as it had to address other pressing financial commitments, including payments towards employees' dues.

The minister said the government later compensated for the delay by procuring maize and jowar worth Rs 5,000 crore from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP). He claimed Telangana was the only state to procure foodgrains such as maize and jowar in addition to paddy, ensuring remunerative prices for farmers.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the Congress government continued to prioritise farmers despite inheriting a massive debt burden of nearly Rs 8 lakh crore from the previous BRS government. He said the state had spent Rs 2,08,557 crore over the last two-and-a-half years towards repayment of interest and principal on loans, yet had not compromised on welfare measures for farmers.

Accusing the BRS leadership of misleading farmers, Bhatti said those who had ruled the state for a decade and pushed it into a debt trap had no moral right to lecture the present government on farmers' welfare. He urged farmers to reject what he described as the false narratives and baseless propaganda being spread by BRS leaders K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao against the Congress government.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government would provide a bonus for seven varieties of fine rice from the ongoing kharif season as part of its efforts to enhance farmers' incomes. He said ensuring remunerative prices for every grain produced by farmers remained the government's foremost priority.

Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that Telangana had emerged as the country's leading state in farmer welfare through record procurement of paddy and prompt payments to farmers. He said initiatives such as Rythu Bharosa, farm loan waiver and free electricity had significantly strengthened farmers' confidence in the government.