RYTHU BANDHU: FARMERS’ INVESTMENT SUPPORT SCHEME

The Rythu Bandhu scheme, a first of its kind initiative providing investment support to farmers is launced by TRS government  in the state of Telangana.  This welfare programme provides 4000 rupees per acre per season to support farm investment twice a year.{for rabi and kharif  seasons}. New pattadhar passbooks with about 17 security features are given, which were printed after purifying the landrecords last year.

          This ambitious agrarian outreach of the Telangana Government is expected to provide the much needed breather to the marginal and small farmers who constitute the major chunk of land owners in the state.

My passbook

      I being a marginal farmer (yaa… I hold an half acre land which I bought an year ago with my earnings)  was called upon for collecting my passbook and cheque at my village, Yerugandapally, Marriguda (M), Nalgonda (D).

          The programme was launched by our MLA (Munugodu constituency) K. Prabhakar Reddy. The implementation of the scheme was no less than a poll day in general elections.

Our village ZPHS where the distribution was conducted

          Many people criticised this welfare scheme as a ploy to loot the vote bank. That made me to write this article critically analyzing the scheme.

          Many farmers in our state are marginal and small scale. They need investment for seeds and tilling the land.  With no collaterals in hand they borrow from the money lenders or other informal sources of credit. They get trapped in debt crisis if the farm fails. Next season, they again burrow money  or to pay back previous loan they will be forced to sell the crop to them only.  Thus this scheme, protects the farmers from the informal sources of credit.

          Usually the government supports the farmers by announcing MSP (Minimum Support Price). Ironically, its only for 25 crops out of the hundreds of types of crops we farm every year. The benefits of MSP are never reached to the marginal farmers as they farm for their own consumption. ( they barely have any surplus to sell , that is left after their consumption).

          Thus this investment support scheme helps to improve the livelihood of small scale and marginal farmers which the MSP failed to do so.

          The scheme is widely criticised for its applicability  only to the landowners but not the tenants. This is to motivate those landlords who don’t show any interest towards farming and turned their lands barren, fearing the investment losses because of  the frequent monsoon failures.

          And finally, those who don’t wish to take money under this scheme, can give up their money voluntarily to Rythu Samanvaya Samiti corpus. (which will be used for agrarian purposes).

My cheque.... only 2000 because I have marginal landholdings

Security features of the passbook

          Thus this is one of the best planned programme in the recent times for the welfarement of our agararian society. I do support it and hope programmes like this, gets implemented in all other states too.