Hyderabad:The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has submitted a letter to the government to revisit the implementation of the Rythu Bharosa scheme, demanding a more focused approach to make sure that the financial aid reached genuine farmers.
In the letter addressed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, FGG president M. Padmanabha Reddy expressed concerns over indiscriminate payments under previous schemes like Rythu Bandhu. “Earlier, the government gave ₹10,000 per acre irrespective of landholding and to all land holdings whether they were under cultivation or not. This step has put heavy burden on the state economy and has set a wrong precedent,” the letter stated.
The FGG pointed out that payments under Rythu Bandhu were made based on land ownership records and it benefitted even absentee landlords while failing to address the needs of tenant farmers. “Farmers are to be assisted and protected, but at the same time landlords, income tax payers should be kept out of this scheme. Tenant farmers also to be compensated,” the forum added.
To make the Rythu Bharosa more effective, the FGG recommended limiting the benefits to farmers owning up to five acres of land that is actively under cultivation. This would not only ease the financial strain on the government but also ensure that the aid was directed towards those who genuinely require support.
FGG pointed out that while farmers constitute less than 50 per cent of the population, a large portion of the state budget is being allocated to agriculture-related welfare programmes, which leaves limited resources for other developmental activities. The forum called for a balanced approach to welfare spending to benefit broader sections of society.
The letter also expressed concerns over the growing trend of unsustainable welfare schemes driven by political pressures and cited examples from other states like Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, which have struggled with mounting debt.
