Hyderabad: The state government on Sunday issued detailed guidelines for implementation of the Rythu Bharosa scheme, which will replace the Rythu Bandhu of the BRS government, on January 26. The new scheme aims to provide enhanced crop investment support to farmers and address gaps in the earlier scheme that was implemented by the BRS government.
Farmers will receive ₹12,000 per acre annually, compared to ₹10,000 under Rythu Bandhu, which includes kharif season, ₹6,000 per acre and rabi season ₹6,000 per acre. However, the benefit is restricted to active cultivable lands, ensuring targeted assistance.
Unlike Rythu Bandhu, the new scheme will extend benefits to landless agricultural families, who will be identified by using MGNREGS job card records. Families where a member worked for at least 20 days in 2023-24 under MNREGA will qualify to get Rs 12,000 per year under the Indiramma Atmiya Bharosa sub-scheme.
Non-cultivable land parcels, including those converted for real estate ventures, infrastructure projects or commercial use, will be excluded.
The state government will conduct a comprehensive field survey from January 16 to 20 to identify cultivable land and eligible landless agricultural families.
Joint surveys will be conducted by agriculture extension officers and revenue inspectors using survey numbers registered under the Bhu Bharati portal, the new land revenue system replacing Dharani portal.
The survey findings will be displayed in gram sabhas from January 21 to 24. Objections or corrections will be invited, reviewed, and finalised by January 25.
Farmers holding podu lands under the Recognition of Forest Rights Act (RoFR Act) will also receive Rythu Bharosa benefits.
Funds will be directly transferred to farmers' bank accounts through RBI’s direct benefit transfer (DBT) system.
As an effective safeguard mechanism, the government has introduced stricter eligibility criteria to prevent the misuse observed under Rythu Bandhu.
District collectors have been tasked with grievance redressal and to ensure that no ineligible person benefits from the scheme. They will oversee the process of identification of eligible beneficiaries and also verify survey data for accuracy.
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) will serve as the IT partner for the scheme’s implementation. For the first time, the guidelines have been issued in Telugu to ensure accessibility for local stakeholders.
The state government clarified that the shift from Rythu Bandhu to Rythu Bharosa addresses previous concerns of misuse of public funds. The new scheme is tailored to support active cultivators and landless labourers while excluding lands not used for agricultural purposes.
