Agriculture Top Pority for Telangana Govt: Bhatti
₹9,000 cr Rythu Bharosa paid in nine days, ₹1,900 cr to be released today
Nalgonda: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday said the Telangana government has accorded top priority to strengthening the agriculture sector, citing increased investment and welfare measures for farmers.
Along with agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, he inaugurated a Rythu Mela at the venue of the ‘Rythu Ashirvada Sabha’ scheduled to be held at Jagandhapuram in Khammam district on Friday. He said the government aims to make agriculture a “festival” by extending investment support to farming, which he described as the backbone of the state’s economy.
Referring to financial support schemes, he said the previous BRS government had spent ₹72,000 crore under Rythu Bandhu over 10 years, while the present Congress government had released ₹35,839 crore under Rythu Bharosa in two-and-a-half years.
He said that during the same period, the government had spent ₹1,67,877 crore on farmers through Rythu Bharosa, crop loan waiver, bonus for fine variety paddy, crop insurance, agricultural power subsidy and farm mechanisation.
He said, “Tomorrow (July 10), during the 'Rythu Ashirvada Sabha', in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Cabinet colleagues, another ₹1,900 crore will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of farmers. With this, a total of ₹9,000 crore will paid to the farmers under rythu bharosa of this season within just nine days,” he clarified.
Bhatti said the government has prioritised agriculture and allied sectors since assuming office and has initiated several welfare measures for farmers.
Highlighting Khammam district’s agricultural importance, he said farming remains the primary livelihood, supported by irrigation from the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal and other projects. Strengthening the agriculture sector, he said, was essential for improving the economic condition of farming families.
He appealed to farmers to attend the Rythu Ashirvada Sabha in large numbers, noting that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy would address the meeting.
Referring to deficient rainfall due to El Niño conditions, he advised farmers to take up cultivation based on guidance from agriculture officials and prevailing weather conditions. He said the Wyra reservoir was being filled with Godavari waters through the Rajiv Link Canal by lifting water from the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme, which would help irrigate about one lakh acres in the district. He also advised farmers to opt for crops requiring less water and shorter cultivation periods.
