Revanth’s Rythu Bharosa Rules a Betrayal of Farmers: Harish

Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao said the Rythu Bharosa guidelines issued by the state government were designed to remove a large number of poor farmers from the list of beneficiaries and at the same time, cut down the money that a large number of other small farmers.

Addressing a press conference at Sangareddy on Monday, Harish Rao said the government decisions on Rythu Bharosa will mean that a farmer with just five guntas of land will get Rs 1,500 per year, and the Chief Minister says that any farm labourers who also own just five guntas, will not be eligible for the Rs 12,000 promised to this category of people.

“Those who have such small land holdings belong to Dalit and tribal communities and these sections will be hurt the most by the government decision. There are 24,57,000 farmers who own less than an acre and as per the government plans, all of them will be cheated out of the promised Rs 12,000 per acre per year if they happen to work as farm labour because they have such tiny holdings, they will not get the aid for farm workers. This is nothing but cheating of the farmers of Telangana,” Harish Rao said.

“The government claims that only labourers who worked for 20 days under MNREGA this year are eligible, excluding those who couldn’t work due to health or other reasons. This is unfair and unacceptable. Agricultural laborers deserve Rs 12,000 annually as promised,” Harish Rao said.

Calling on people visiting their villages for the Sankranti festival to discuss with their families and friends how the Revanth Reddy government has failed farmers, Harish Rao said the Congress government “is proving itself as anti-farmer at every step. During elections, Revanth Reddy offered false hopes to farmers, only to betray them after coming to power.”