Rythu Bharosa, aid to farm labourers and ration cards are our trump card for local bodies polls: Revanth

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy confident in Congress government's farmer welfare schemes for local bodies polls, despite financial assistance concerns.

Exuding confidence that the Congress government can convince the farmers in the State about its commitment to their welfare by announcing Rythu Bharosa and one-time financial assistance to farm labourers, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy wanted his cabinet colleagues and Congress leaders to publicise these schemes in the run-up to the local bodies polls.

Sources said one or two senior Ministers expressed their fears over the government announcing only ₹12,000 as Rythu Bharosa financial assistance to farmers. But, the Chief Minister it is believed, was confident that the farming community would understand the government’s commitment.

He is understood to have remarked that when the government along with land owing and tenant farmers had announced financial aid along with the one-time financial support for farm labourers, there would not be any negative impact.

“The BRS government gave only ₹10,000 to farmers under Rythu Bandhu and we have increased it to ₹12,000. It had promised financial support to farm workers but failed to keep its promise. We have done it by covering these sections also,” he is said to have expressed his confidence.

The Chief Minister said the two farmers’ welfare programme coupled with the decision to issue new ration cards would yield positive results for the Congress government. “These are the three issues which the Congress rank and file has to take to the people to win the local bodies elections. These three programmes are our trump card to win the local bodies elections,” Mr. Revanth Reddy told his cabinet colleagues.

It may be mentioned here that the Congress, in the run up to the Assembly elections in 2023, had promised ₹15,000 investment support to farmers under the Rythu Bharosa scheme against the ₹5,000 each given by the then BRS government in Rabi and Kharif season. The Congress government decided to club it together and announced ₹12,000 as against ₹15,000 it had promised. However, it had kept its promise of ₹12,000 for farm workers.

It is understood that about 16 lakh farm workers are likely to receive the financial support as the government has decided to give the aid to one member in the family. Officially, 64 lakh landless poor have enrolled in the NREGS scheme across Telangana.