BRS urges govt. to give ₹12K to farmers holding less than an acre of land

T. Harish Rao demands Rythu Bharosa extension to small landholders to prevent loss, highlighting discrepancies in support distribution.

HYDERABAD

Senior leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) T. Harish Rao has demanded that the State government extend Rythu Bharosa benefit to farmers having less than an acre of landholding in the farmworkers category as they would be at loss compared to the benefit given in the latter category.

Speaking to newspersons in Sangareddy on Monday, he said the support under the farmworkers category would be ₹12,000 a year, while the landholders with less than an acre of extent would get lesser amount as the investment support to the landholders would be given at ₹12,000 per acre per year. The loss to landholders of small extent (less than an acre) would be high as they number 24.57 lakh out of a total of nearly 70 lakh landholders.

He explained that a farmer with 5 guntas (40 guntas make one acre) land would get only ₹1,500 per year under Rythu Bharosa. Similarly, a farmer with 10 guntas land would get ₹3,000 a year, one with 30 guntas would get ₹9,000 a year. However, if they were extended support under the farmworkers category they would get ₹12,000 a year.

Even in case of the landless farmers (farmhands), the government was planning to give the support to only 10 lakh of those enrolled under MGNREGS as those who had put in about 20 days of wage work under the scheme. Such a criteria would leave out another 90 lakh farmhands who go for wage work provided under the employment guarantee scheme.

Mr. Harish Rao alleged that several farmers who have less than ₹2 lakh outstanding loan too had not received the benefit so far or their dues were not written off by the banks so far in Sangareddy. Those who had paid dues beyond ₹2 lakh to avail waiver of ₹2 lakh had also not received the benefit so far.