Telangana govt disbursed Rs 65,000 crore in 10 rounds of RBS: Singireddy

Hyderabad: State Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy said on Tuesday that the State government has so far disbursed Rs 65,559.28 crore under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme (RBS) to farmers till the 10th round of extending financial assistance to farmers.

He said the government is all set to deposit Rs 7,676.61 crore in about 70.54 lakh farmers' bank accounts from Wednesday.

The minister said the financial assistance would help in cultivation of crops to an extent of 53.53 lakh acres in Telangana. "Unlike any other State in the country the financial assistance under RBS being implemented in Telangana is in line with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's vision.

"Farmers who feed the country should not turn into depravity with a begging hand before others were the motto of the CM," he said, adding top priority has been given to agriculture with welfare of farmers being central to the government's vision.

Reddy said farmers across the country are demanding the welfare schemes being implemented in Telangana---Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, free power to griculture and irrigation water to crops---as their right. These schemes makes Telangana a pro-farmer government. "However, the rulers running the country are not sincere towards farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had come to power on a bunch of lies has failed to come up with any viable and clear agriculture policy even after eight years, he criticised.

The minister said linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MNREGS) with agriculture, pensions for 60-year-olds, implementating recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission in offering MSP to crops, doubling farmers' income by 2022 were the promises made by the Modi government. But, the Centre cheated farmers by failing to deliver on its promises, he rued.

Reddy stressed the need for change in the mindset of the country's rulers.