Rythu Bandhu scheme reaches the milestone mark of Rs. 50,000 crore deposited into the bank accounts of farmers

Farmers across the State began Sankranti festivities early with the Rythu Bandhu farm investment support scheme reaching the milestone mark of Rs 50,000 crore deposited into the bank accounts of ryots in Telangana. 

More than 64 lakh of the total 66 lakh farmers have received their farm investment for the current Yasangi (Rabi) season, with the total disbursement touching a whopping Rs 50,000 crore on Monday. The remaining two lakh farmers will receive their investment support in the next couple of days.

Launched in Vaanakalam (Kharif) season of 2018, the Rythu Bandhu scheme is being implemented in an unprecedentedd manner by the Telangana government. About Rs 43,036.64 crore were spent on the scheme in the last seven editions, while about Rs 7,500 crore was being spent on the eighth edition – the ongoing Yasangi season.

The scheme coupled with government programmes like free power supply, has reinforced confidence among farmers to take up cultivation. The State government continued with the scheme even during the difficult times of Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown. This helped the State in recording an unprecedented growth of 8 per cent in agriculture and allied sectors as against just 1.8 per cent growth after State formation in 2014.

Buoyed by its success in the early days, the State government increased the investment support from Rs 8,000 per acre per annum to Rs 10,000 per acre per annum. The Central



government emulated the Rythu Bandhu and came up with schemes like PM-KISAN. Several other States like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand among others, followed suit.

Meanwhile, farmers across the State along with TRS party activists and general public broke into celebrations to mark the historic occasion. While some performed ‘Abhishekam’ to the portrait of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, others took out bullock cart and tractor rallies across the State. The villages were filled with a festive atmosphere as women played Bathukamma and Kolatam, while men took out rallies with bullock carts and tractors amid traditional drum beats.

Several Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other elected representatives participated in the celebrations. Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy drove a tractor herself in her Maheshwaram constituency, to the surprise of many TRS leaders. Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy drove a tractor at Narayanpuram in Satthupalli constituency while Tourism Minister V Srinivas Rao drove a tractor at a village near Mahabubnagar. Some TRS leaders including women led the celebrations riding bullock carts.

Farmers in Suryapet, Jagitial, Nizamabad, Nagarkurnool, Khammam and several other places, turned their agricultural fields into beautiful canvasses and decorated them with colourful ‘Rangoli’ thanking the Chief Minister for his support to the farmers.