Rythu Bandhu Investment support scheme not for tenant farmers: KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday made it clear that the Rythu Bandhu Investment support scheme for agriculture is meant to provide investment to farmers for their crops, but is not meant for tenant farmers.

He said that 'Rythu Bandhu Scheme' and certainly not 'Tenant Rythu Bandhu' Scheme.

The Chief Minister asserted that it is meaningless to demand that the Rythu Bandhu Scheme should be made applicable to tenant farmers and said that the argument is against all legal norms.

The Chief Minister held a high-level review meeting today in Pragathi Bhavan on the implementation of Rythu Bandhu scheme.

Chief Advisor to Government Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi, Principal Secretaries S.Narsing Rao, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Parthasaradhi, Law Secretary Niranjan Rao, Additional Advocate General Ramchander Rao, Agriculture Commissioner Jagan Mohan, CMO Secretaries Smita Sabarwal, Bhoopal Reddy and others were present in the meeting.

"The government is implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme aiming at extending investment support of Rs. 8000 per acre to all the farmers in the state. This scheme is made applicable to every farmer without any discrimination. The Government has taken a policy decision for investment support to farmer for agriculture. Rs. 12,000 crore has been allocated in the budget and the state assembly has appropriated this," the Chief Minister said.

"However, some persons are demanding that the tenant should also be extended investment support. This demand is meaningless and there is no legality in this. The so-called tenant farmers shall not have any right on the land. The decision and the policy of the government to provide Investment support to the farmers is an issue linked with public money," he added.

Rao further reiterated that the Rythu Bandhu scheme is for the farmers who own land.

"The Rythu Bandhu scheme is absolutely for the farmer who is the owner of the land. It is impossible to agree to the demands of some people to extend Investment support to the tenant farmer," the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, Rao said that the Mission Bhagiratha, which is aimed at providing safe and clean drinking water to the people, is to be completed within the stipulated time.

The Chief Minister cautioned that the contracts of the agencies who failed to complete the work within the stipulated time may have to be withdrawn.

He made very it clear that neither the delay nor the unresponsiveness will be tolerated at any cost. He said that along with the work of water supply, the work of the internal pipelines in the villages are to be carried out simultaneously.

Rao reminded that he made a promise on the floor of the assembly that before the next elections all the 25,000 villages in the state would be provided with safe drinking water and accordingly the Government has taken up the massive Mission Bhagiratha scheme.

He said that as of now 12,000 plus villages are getting water supply and the remaining will get it as early as possible.