Pradhanamantri's Kisan scheme is not like Rythu Bandhu

Hyderabad: The Pradhanamantri Kisan (Kisan Samman Nidhi) scheme, which promises to pay small and marginal farmers Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments, will not help the BJP get any political mileage in Telangana state.

There is a lot of difference between Telangana government’s Rythu Bandhu and the Centre’s Kisan scheme.

The TS government’s scheme is much better, giving farmers more financial benefits. Under Rythu Bandhu, the state government is paying farmers an investment subsidy of Rs 10,000 per year per acre. In the previous year, the state government paid Rs 8,000 per acre, which it has now enhanced to Rs 10,000 per acre.

The state government did not set any condition on the about 53 lakh beneficiaries in the state for availing the investment subsidy. Whether the farmers cultivated land or not, whether they had one or 10 acres, there was no restriction on them for getting the financial benefit.

But under the Centre’s Kisan scheme, only farmers who have less than five acres of cultivable land, will get Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments.

In comparison, the state government is paying Rs 5,000 per acre during Kharif season and another Rs 5,000 per acre during Rabi season. The timely finance helps farmers purchase inputs.

The Central subsidy, in contrast, will not help the farmers during the season. When the Centre transfers Rs 2,000 in each instalment, farmers will use it for other purposes and will be left with nothing during cultivation time.

Moreover, in Telangana, the farmers have already benefited twice under Rythu Bandhu and will not see Kisan as a new scheme for them.

Even moneywise, the state is paying Rs 10,000 per acre and the Centre Rs 6,000 per year. So, if a farmer has two acres, he will get Rs 20,000 each season from state but only Rs 6,000 from the Centre in two seasons.