The Telangana government would provide Rs 10,000 as financial assistance to farmers on its own and the Centre's Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme would be an additional benefit to them, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said Saturday.
"Hundred per cent it (Kisan Samman Nidhi) is additional. It is not concerned with the money we give. It comes to them (farmers) additionally. We don't want to use it (Kisan Samman Nidhi).
Responding to a query by Congress member Sabita Indra Reddy, Rao said the money that was coming under the Central scheme was limited and very low and was an additional amount to farmers.
"We will definite give our Rs 10,000," he said during his reply to the debate on the state budget.
In the budget presented on Friday, the state government proposed to increase the investment support to farmers under its "Rythu Bandhu" scheme from Rs 4,000 per acre per crop season to Rs 5,000 per acre per crop.
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The total support in a year will be Rs 10,000 per acre.
On farm loan waiver, Rao said the government cannot waive loans at one go.
In the budget, the government proposed to waive all agriculture term loans up to Rs one lakh, outstanding as on December 11, 2018.
The opposition Congress had opposed loan waiver in instalments.
The chief minister said the government was considering giving cheques directly to farmers as irregularities like creating fake bank accounts had been reported.
The government would see to it that there is no interest burden on the farmers, he added.
On the absence of women in the cabinet, he said two women would be given representation.
Dismissing opposition criticism on debts incurred by the state government, he said it took loans as per the rules of FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management).
The government never defaulted in repayment of loans and it has the capacity to pay back, he added.
The loans were meant to take up various development works in the interest of people, Rao said.
He alleged successive governments at the Centre had centralised powers and responsibilities concerning various subjects.
Rao sought to know if the Centre needed to deal with issues like payment of wages to workers in rural areas.
He alleged the NDA government had not allotted funds to Telangana though the NITI Aayog recommended it as the state's Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha were good schemes.
China has achieved rapid progress in a span of few decades though it had remained backward earlier, he said.
He hoped that a government, which would need the support of Telangana MPs, would come at the Centre after the coming Lok Sabha elections.
He sought to counter Congress member D Sridhar Babu on getting central funds and advancing assembly elections, saying these were different issues.
"Do early polls and Centre (giving funds) have any relation? Election is purely a matter that pertains to the Election Commission. The elections should have been held in July-August. The Centre did not cooperate with us... We had decided to go for early polls. We did not do it in a hurry. We planned with clarity. We wanted to go (for polls) much before (schedule)...
"We don't have to compromise with anybody," Rao said adding that his government had taken a lot of efforts to obtain funds.
Leader of the Opposition M Bhatti Vikramarka (Congress) led a walkout by his party, protesting passage of a bill without being given proper chance to speak.
Legislative Affairs Minister V Prashant Reddy said the opposition was given a chance to speak but they had not utilised it.
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