N Rahul

Hyderabad: The announcement of hike in investment support for agriculture from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per acre per annum and grant of another Rs 12,000 per annum for landless agricultural labourers families after a Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday is a bonanza ahead of elections. Telangana government is looking at completion of elections to its rural local bodies in three tier system comprising Gram Panchayats, Mandal and Zilla Parishads before March end to claim its pending arrears in grants of Fifteenth Finance Commission for 2023-24 and 2024-25. They amount to over Rs 2,100 crore. The grants will be released by the centre only if the panchayat raj institutions had elected bodies. While the term of panchayats ended on February 1 last year, that of Mandal and Zilla Parishads expired on July 3. The institutions are being run by special officers since then, resulting in development in rural areas taking a back seat. Congress consolidating gains The delay in conducting elections to the institutions was a result of Congress trying to consolidate its gains in the Assembly polls of 2023. The party had prepared a road map to win a majority of seats in the subsequent Parliament elections. But, it fell way short of the target, conceding space to the BJP. In a desperate bid to maintain its stranglehold in the State, the party focussed on conquering the vote bank of the backward classes who constitute more than 50 percent of the state's population. It constituted a dedicated commission on court orders to fix reservations for BCs in local bodies amidst a campaign by the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) demanding the Congress to keep its election promise of 42 percent quota for BCs. It was in this sequence of events that the State cabinet met to review its two key election promises to farmers-- implementation of Rythu Bharosa programme, a name tweaked from the earlier Rythu Bandhu of BRS government, and assistance of Rs 12,000 to landless agricultural poor. The BRS had offered Rs 10,000 per acre per annum during its ten year rule but the Congress promised to enhance the sum to Rs 15,000. However, the Congress government has now conceded only Rs 12,000, blaming the shortfall on the previous regime for leaving the coffers empty when it exited. Indiramma Atmeeya Bharosa The latest scheme of taking on board farm labourers was fondly named 'Indiramma Atmeeya Bharosa'. Making the announcement, Revanth Reddy said unlike in the past, owner's of only cultivable land could access the benefits. Land tucked away in terrain, rocks and mining areas and those used for real estate, roads or surrendered to the government for setting up industries, all of which enjoyed the facility earlier, will not be eligible. He also announced a first in the State - Rs 12,000 per annum as grant to agriculture labour. The Congress government had implemented a similar programme with Rs 6,000 in the name of Rajiv Gandhi Rural Landless Agricultural Labourers Nyay Yojana in Chhattisgarh three years ago. Reddy also announced distribution of white ration cards to new applicants along with the launch of twin programmes to farmers from January 26 to mark the 75th anniversary of Constitution. The Opposition led by the BRS attacked the Congress for going back on its promise to extend Rs 15,000 assistance under Rythu Bharosa. Its working president K.T. Rama Rao said the decision was expected long back keeping in view the Congress's track record of betraying farmers. He denied the fund crunch faced by the government and said the BRS regime had handed over to its successors a revenue surplus budget of Rs 5,943 crore when it lost Assembly elections. BRS claims there is money With monthly revenue and capital receipts of Rs 24,236 crore and expenditure amounting to Rs 15,640 crore, the government still had enough resources to go to the aid of farmers but failed to do so. Union Minister and former president of State unit of BJP Bandi Sanjay Kumar said at a separate press conference that farmers voted wholesome for Congress believing it would deliver on its promise. But, the party not only belied expectations, it did not pay a single rupee to farmers for three crop seasons. Even considering its latest announcement, the government must pay Rs 18,000 to each farmer under Rythu Bharosa thus far. The CPI State secretary K. Sambasiva Rao welcomed the decision saying it was better late than never. In any case, the Congress was paying Rs 2,000 more than the BRS.

N Rahul

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