Rythu Bandhu scheme, farmhouse culture driving a rise in agricultural land owners

Hyderabad: The increase in agricultural land holdings by individuals has been a consistent trend, with a dramatic increase in recent
times, primarily in regions surrounding Hyderabad as a result of real estate ventures on the city outskirts as well as ascribed to the Rythu Bandu scheme.

When the state government cleared revenue land records and issued new digital passbooks in 2018, the number of land owners possessing pattadar passbooks climbed to 70 lakh, an increase of more than 20 lakh in the last five years. While it was 1.42 crore acres in 2018, it increased to 1.48 crore acres in 2022. While land extent increased by eight lakh acres, the persons owning agriculture lands increased by 20 lakh. The data obtained from the revenue departments shows that the number of pattadars holding agricultural lands in Telangana was 50.25 lakh in 2018. Currently, the number stands at 70.53 lakh.

Agriculture lands are being sold and registered in guntas in districts
surrounding Hyderabad as a result of farming ventures on the city outskirts, and more and more people desire to buy them for agriculture purposes now and real estate purposes in the future. Post-Covid, the 'farmhouse culture' has spread to those living in cities and urban areas. People prefer to construct houses in farmland ventures and spend weekends with families and friends.

The other reason being cited by officials for the increase in people buying lands in farmland ventures is Rythu Bandhu, under which the state government is paying Rythu Bandhu for persons owning even one gunta. With this, realtors are purchasing agricultural lands and developing farmland ventures.

Each acre has 40 guntas and realtors are leaving 10 to 15 guntas for roads and other facilities and selling 25 to 30 guntas by making them as plots.in the sizes ranging from 2 guntas to 20 guntas. These lands continue to be shown as agricultural lands on Dharani portal and persons owning them are receiving Rythu Bandhu at Rs 250 per gunta per year.  All of this contributed to a rise in the number of people owning agricultural property.

This year, a large number of pattadar passbooks were issued in
Rangareddy,Sangareddy, Nalgonda, Siddipet, Vikarabad and Medak districts, which are close to Hyderabad, while the lowest number of pattadar passbook were issued in Asifabad and Kothagudem districts, which are far away from Hyderabad and known as tribal-dominated districts.

Rangareddy district stands at the top in new pattadar passbooks issued this year at 22,015 followed by Sangareddy (21,576), Nalgonda (15,881) Siddipet (14,523), Vikarabad (13,945), and Medak (11,706).  However, Kothagudem district stood at the bottom with just 1,445 new passbooks followed by Asifabad at 2,368.