Jagan releases Rs 3,923 crore to 52 lakh farmers under Rythu Bharosa from Pattikonda

KURNOOL: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy disbursed financial assistance to farmers for the fifth consecutive year under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan at an event held in Pattikonda on Thursday.

With the press of a button, the Chief Minister distributed Rs 3,923.21 crore as the first tranche of this year to 52,30,939 farmers.

With this, he said, each farmer receives Rs 5,500 directly into his bank accounts from the government. Another Rs 2,000 from the Centre as part of the PM Kisan Yojana was also disbursed to the beneficiary farmers across the state. The Chief Minister said,” We have distributed Rs 61,500 to each farmer till now.”

With the present distribution of Rs 3,923 crore under Rythu Bharosa, the state government has disbursed Rs 30,985 crore  to farmers in the last four years. "By comparison, the previous TD government, which had promised to waive Rs 87,000 crore of crop loans in 2014, paid only Rs 15,000 crore to them, betraying the mandate of the farmers, he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said the YSRC government has distributed more than what was assured to the people by him during the 2019 elections. A financial assistance of Rs 12,500 per year for four years had been promised in the YSRC manifesto for the farmers in 2019. “However, this government has extended the scheme for its full five years, the extended assistance coming to Rs 13,500 every year,” he stated.

The Chief Minister said the TD government had procured 2.65 crore tonne of paddy from the farmers in its five years. By contrast, the YSRC government completed procurement of 3.09 crore tonne till now in a the past four years. “We are going to establish 11 district-level seed and soil testing laboratories attached to Rythu Bharosa Kendras,” he said.

“We are going to deposit insurance support to the farmers in July or August this year marking the birth anniversary of former chief minister late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy,” he said and assured the farmers that farm equipment worth of Rs 1,052 crore would be available for farmers at the RBKs with a 10 per cent beneficiary contribution, 40 per cent subsidy and 50 per cent of bank loan component.

He said the government is converting Gram Sachivalayam offices in villages into sub-registrar offices for transactions at the doorsteps of villagers. “Farmers have benefited hugely in the dairy sector after the entry of Amul brand in the state. Amul has increased milk procurement price by Rs 10-17 per litre. As a result, the private dairies such as Heritage had to increase the milk purchasing price. Farmers relying on the dairy sector have gained significantly,” he said.

The Chief Minister described the TD’s latest election manifesto as a “kichadi of imitative stuff copied from other manifestos,” while the YSRC manifesto took birth from the hearts of the people.”

“The TD manifesto was born in Karnataka, like the ‘bisi bele bath’," he said in jest.

Jagan Mohan Reddy mentioned some stories from Indian mythology, saying the TD’s Mahanadu resembled episodes of Puthana in Bhagavad Gita, and Ravana and Mareecha in Ramayana, for “attracting the innocents” and said, “Chandrababu is a mixture of all these evil characters.”

He said Chandrababu Naidu backstabbed NTR when he was alive and now the TD is  claiming him as a Yuga Purush, Rama and Krishna. “The opposition leader has no regard to truth, honesty and credibility and he doesn’t even have candidates for all 175 constituencies.”

Jagan Mohan Reddy said the 2024 polls would be like a Kurukshetra battle in the Mahabharatha epic and there will be an ideological clash between the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the YSRC government and DPT (Dochuko, Panchuko, Tinuko) policy of the Telugu Desam. He urged the people to make a wise choice in the upcoming polls.

 Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath, agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan, local MLA K. Sridevi, MLCs Gangula Prabhakar, Ishaq Basha, legislators Rambhupal Reddy, Hafeez Khan, Chennakesava Reddy, Arthur, Sudhakar and district collector Srijana, SPs Raghuveera Reddy and G. Krishnakanth were present.