Wed Jan 01 16:40:00 UTC 2025: ## Telangana’s New Government Considers Requiring Applications for Farmer Support Scheme
**Hyderabad, January 1 (Namste Telangana):** The newly elected Congress government in Telangana is considering a significant change to the Rythu Bharosa farmer support scheme. Under the previous administration, farmers received direct payments into their accounts without needing to submit applications. However, the new government is proposing a return to a system requiring self-declarations (swiya dhruvikaranam) from each farmer detailing their cultivated land and crops for each season.
This proposal was reportedly discussed extensively in a cabinet subcommittee meeting, with ministers expressing support for the change. A final decision is expected at the cabinet meeting on January 4th. The government’s stated rationale is to ensure that Rythu Bharosa funds are disbursed only to farmers who meet specific criteria and cultivate crops on eligible land. However, critics fear this move will burden farmers with bureaucratic hurdles, potentially leading to long queues at Panchayat offices and increased opportunities for bribery and corruption. Farmers will have to apply twice yearly, for both Kharif and Rabi seasons.
Concerns are being raised that this new application process will disproportionately affect small and marginal farmers. Further, the government’s potential to penalize farmers for inaccuracies or late applications is also a cause for concern. While the government aims to streamline the distribution of funds, the move is drawing criticism for potentially reintroducing the very bureaucratic inefficiencies the previous system was designed to eliminate. The opposition fears this policy shift is a deliberate attempt to restrict access to the benefits of Rythu Bharosa.
First Piper 