Hyderabad: The Congress govt is currently focused on counting agricultural labourers in the state, using job cards from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as a reference to implement the financial aid of 12,000 per year for the poor without land.
Sources said there is an assessment of how many job cardholders lack agricultural land. The govt plans to directly transfer this financial support into the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
Labourers enrolled in MGNREGS already have accounts at post offices, where the funds will be deposited. Clear guidelines have been provided to the panchayat raj department to facilitate the identification of agricultural labourers and to avoid any potential disputes.
At present, there are 51 lakh job cardholders under the MGNREGS in the state, which offers employment for 100 days annually.
However, only 25,000 people manage to work the full 100 days, while around 2,50,000 beneficiaries typically work between 60 and 70 days, according to officials.
A separate list is being compiled to determine how many labourers do not own land and how many have up to half an acre. For the fiscal year 2024-25, a budget of 1,200 crore has been allocated to ensure the annual 12,000 support for agricultural labourers, with the funds needing to be utilised by March.
Finance minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced 6,000 will be distributed to each family on Dec 28 of this year, with the remaining amount to be provided in the following fiscal year. The Congress govt plans to promote this initiative widely, launching it on Congress Foundation Day and organising special events in every district headquarters under the supervision of designated ministers.
Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy recently announced that an initial amount of 1,000 crore will be released for this scheme.
As part of its six guarantees, the Congress govt has committed to providing annual financial assistance of 12,000 to agricultural labourers, sources said.
