Hyderabad: Telangana’s flagship farm investment support scheme, now called Rythu Bharosa, has expanded by nearly 15 lakh beneficiaries since it was launched as Rythu Bandhu in 2018, with cumulative payouts rising nearly 46% to ₹73,320 crore.Official data show the scheme, which initially covered about 58 lakh land-owning farmers, now benefits more than 73 lakh people after Telangana govt expanded its scope to include eligible agricultural labourers and tenant farmers.Of the total expenditure, around ₹50,250 crore was disbursed between 2018 and 2023 under the previous BRS govt. Since assuming office, the Congress govt has released another ₹23,070 crore, taking the cumulative payout to ₹73,320 crore.The expansion has been driven largely by the inclusion of about 9 lakh agricultural labourers under the Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa component and eligible tenant farmers, categories that were not covered when the scheme was launched as Rythu Bandhu.Officials said the wider coverage has significantly increased the state’s annual outlay on farm support while extending financial assistance to sections that were previously outside the ambit of the scheme.District-wise data show Nalgonda received the highest disbursement under the scheme at around ₹5,491 crore, followed by Sangareddy, Khammam and Nagarkurnool. Hyderabad recorded the lowest payout because of its limited agricultural land.The expansion comes alongside Telangana govt’s ongoing exercise to remove ineligible beneficiaries through live verification, with officials saying the process will help ensure that assistance reaches only eligible farmers and agricultural labourers while keeping the beneficiary database up to date.
