Telangana: Big boost to BRS ahead of poll day, Election Commission clears Rythu Bandhu scheme

HYDERABAD: In a big boost to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana, the Election Commission of India on friday approved disbursement of Rythu Bandhu money for the farmers.
Following the ECI directions, Telangana government will start disbursing the Rythu Bandhu Subsidy money from Friday.
Telangana has a cultivable area of 1.47cr acres and Rs.16,000cr will be disbursed under the scheme into the accounts of farmers.Around 60 lac families would be benefited days ahead of poll day, which is considered as a masterstroke by political pundits.
Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj told TOI, "Telangana government has requested the permission of ECI for the disbursement of Rythu Bandhu money from November 24. We have received a communication on Friday from ECI accepting the government’s proposal."
Congress had earlier filed a complaint with ECI and CEO to give directions to the state government not to release the funds before the elections citing that it would influence voters.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in his political campaign has been stressing the point that Congress was trying to stop the disbursement of money to the farmers. Congress leader Uttama Kumar Reddy has categorically said that the party is not against the scheme but only against disbursement before the poll.
Forum for good governance also asked the Election Commission to stop the disbursement of Rythu Bandhu money before the elections. As the flagship agriculture support scheme,Rythu Bandhu of the BRS government is already being taken well by farmers and the beneficiaries are rallying for the party.
As per the scheme, an investment support of Rs. 5,000 per acre per farmer will be directly transferred into the accounts each season of Kharif and Rabi making it to Rs. 10,000 per annum per acre. Telangana government has so far spent Rs.70,000 crore over eleven cropping seasons benefiting 60 lakh farmers.
BRS promised to increase the Rythu Bandhu amount to Rs. 16,000 per acre per annum.The scheme is supposed to help farmers in buying seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, labour charges during the season. The scheme benefits only the farmers who own the land and not the tenant farmers.
This has drawn sharp criticism from the farmers’ associations. Farm unions like Rythu Swarajya Vedika have been demanding the government to include tenant farmers in the scheme. Congress has announced a similar scheme in its manifesto promising Rs.15,000 per acre to farmers and tenant farmers