Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday inaugurated his flagship ‘Rythu Bharosa’ scheme, which provides a cash incentive for farm inputs, in Sarvepalli in Nellore district.
Speaking at the event, Jagan said, “The scheme will change the history of farmers in the state. This is the maximum support offered to farmers out of all 29 states of India,” adding that the scheme has been launched 8 months earlier than promised.
Inaugurating the scheme, Jagan released an amount of Rs 3,785 crore towards 38 lakh farmers in the state. With enrolments continuing till November 15, the number of beneficiaries are expected to increase. The amount will be deposited by Wednesday, Jagan announced.
The farmer welfare scheme was one of the nine key promises among the ‘Navaratnalu’ made by the YSRCP in its election campaign. Jagan also announced that within this year farm input stores will be opened at the village level, where good quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides will be made available so that farmers do not suffer losses due to adulterated inputs.
The YSR Rythu Bharosa replaces the previous TDP government’s ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’ scheme, introduced in February this year in the run-up to the elections. Under Rythu Bharosa, land holder farmers owning up to five acres will be provided with an annual benefit of Rs 13,500.
What the scheme entails
Landless cultivators or tenant farmers from SC, ST, BC and minority groups are also eligible for the incentive. The amount includes the annual benefit of Rs 6,000 per family provided by the Centre under the PM KISAN Yojana.
According to a government order issued on Monday, an amount of Rs 5,510 crore has been issued towards Rythu Bharosa. While the previous government’s beneficiary list included 43 lakh farmers, the CM has reportedly said that around 51 lakh farmers will be covered by Rythu Bharosa, apart from nearly 3 lakh tenant farmers.
The scheme also assures drilling of borewells free of cost, a calamity relief fund of Rs 4,000 crore, 9 hours of free electricity during the day, and setting up of cold storage units and food processing centres.
Responding to criticism over naming the scheme after YSR while using funds from the Centre, Minister of Agriculture Kanna Babu told the media that Jagan had instructed officials to include the name of the Centre’s scheme.
While the YSRCP government had earlier promised an amount of Rs 50,000 in four annual instalments of Rs 12,500 each, the amount was increased to Rs 13,500 to be paid for five years, bringing the total up to Rs 67,500. The increment was reportedly made following demands from farmers’ representative at an Agriculture Mission meeting held one day before the launch.
TDP scheme scrapped
Under the TDP’s scheme, farmers were promised yearly financial assistance of Rs 4,000 in addition to the Rs 6,000 announced by the Centre. Farmers owning more than five acres of land and not eligible under the Centre’s scheme were promised Rs 10,000 per year.
In September, the YSRCP government had scrapped the TDP scheme, though the previous state government had already waived loans in three instalments ahead of the polls, and two instalments were pending.
Before coming to power in 2014, Naidu had promised the waivers to regain support from farmers. During his campaign for the 2019 elections, Jagan accused the Chandrababu Naidu government of cheating farmers with the false promise of waiving loans.
Building a ‘farmer friendly’ image
“My father inspired me to believe that only if farmers are happy, the state will move towards progress. Only if farmers have bharosa (assurance/security) will the state be secure,” Jagan said at the inauguration.
The YSRCP has worked towards cultivating a farmer-friendly image, from the election manifesto to the recently announced budget, which allocated Rs 1,163 crore for the YSR Crop Insurance Scheme, and Rs 8,750 crore for Rythu Bharosa.
Funds were also earmarked for the YSR interest-free loan scheme and for an agriculture price stabilisation fund. The Andhra assembly also passed a bill intended to benefit tenant farmers earlier in July. The Andhra Pradesh Corp Cultivator Rights Bill, 2019, seeks to provide amenities, such as banking and insurance benefits, to tenant farmers.
The state government even observed ‘YSR Rythu Dinotsavam’ (YSR Farmers’ Day) on July 8, the birth anniversary of Jagan’s father and former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The Navaratnalu also include ‘Jalayagnam’, a large-scale irrigation project conceived by YSR. The project has been criticised for being impractical and intended to benefit contractors.
Two other welfare schemes were also launched in October – ‘YSR Vahana Mitra’, a cash incentive for auto and taxi drivers, and ‘YSR Kanti Vellugu’ which provides free eyecare. However, concerns have also been raised over the state’s financial situation and its ability to bear the cost of the YSRCP government’s welfare programmes.
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