Hyderabad: Amid speculation of panchayat elections being held soon, chief minister A Revanth Reddy, with his entire cabinet in attendance, announced disbursal of Rs 9,000 crore under govt’s most important welfare programme, Rythu Bharosa, to over 70 lakh farmers in the next nine days, starting Monday. The announcement was made during the ‘Rythu Nestham’ programme held at the Prof Jayashankar Agriculture University on Monday.The CM ceremoniously initiated the fund transfer by pressing a button at the event which was directly seen by over 6 lakh farmers who participated through 1,600 Rythu Vedikas across the state.On Monday, the govt released Rs 6,000 per acre into the accounts of 41.25 lakh farmers who own up to two acres, covering a total of 39.16 lakh acres. The total funds released on Monday amounted to Rs 2,349 crore.The presence of the cabinet during the programme suggested that the govt may soon announce a schedule for local body elections, sources said.The event also marked the expansion of the existing Rythu Vedikas – where farmers receive guidance from scientists via video conference – from 500 to 1,600. During the programme, the CM interacted with farmers from various districts, emphasising the govt’s commitment to making farmers prosperous. He told them that despite challenges, the govt was providing Rythu Bharosa funds to ensure that farmers did not suffer.The CM said those who disregarded farmers should not hold leadership positions in the state or country. He specifically targeted BRS leaders, stating that after ruling Telangana for nearly a decade and ignoring farmers, they were now pretending to be farmers’ friends. On the other hand, the Congress govt had spent nearly Rs 1 lakh crore on agricultural sector in a short period, including loan waivers, he pointed out.“The BRS did not waive loans as promised during their entire tenure, they only waived loans worth Rs 17,000 crore in almost 10 years. Despite the financial challenges created by them, we have paid Rs 21,000 crore as a one-time loan waiver in a short time soon after coming to power. Also, with solar pumps for agriculture, there will be significant changes in the farming sector. Our goal is to make farming profitable. We are even paying bonuses for high-quality paddy varieties,” the CM said.Deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka also mentioned that apart from Rs 1 lakh crore already spent, the govt planned to invest Rs 3 lakh crore on the agriculture sector over the next few years.BOX Eat jowar roti, wash own clothes for fit body: CMDuring the Rythu Nestham event, CM emphasised on the benefits of traditional food and living habits for staying fit instead of gym workouts.While speaking about vegetable cultivation, the CM suggested that youth should eat jowar roti instead of following fad diets and eating tasteless greens. This, along with washing own clothes, would build muscles and give them a six-pack body without spending money on gyms, the CM said.Ruing how changing crops have led to many flavours now missing, the CM said that traditional curry like dosakaya (yellow cucumber) with toor dal, as done in Achampet, tasted even better than chicken or mutton.
