CM KCR plans new scheme
PNS|Hyderabad
Bharat Rashtra Samiti chief and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who has expanded his footprint beyond Telangana State with his rallying slogan of ‘Ab ki baar, Kisan Sarkar’, is likely to announce a pension scheme for farmers as part of BRS’ 2023 manifesto.
Sources said that the state government is gearing up to give pensions to farmers. For the first time in the country, a state government is going to implementsuch a scheme.
Presently, at the central level, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana, a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, is designed to protect elderly farmers and provide social security to small and marginal farmers with cultivable landholdings of up to 2 hectares who are aged between 18 and 40 years and whose names appear in State/UT land records as of 01-08-2019. These farmers are eligible for benefits under the scheme.
After reaching the age of 60, famers covered by this scheme would receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 3,000 per month. Upon the famer’s death, only his or her spouse would be entitled to 50% of the pension as family pension.
In 2018, the Chief Minister announced the Rythu Bandhu Scheme, which seemed to have yielded big electoral benefits for BRS.
Likewise, his Dalit Bandhu scheme was expected to fetch votes, but it didnot work out well even in the Huzurabad byelections before which it was showcased.
The BRS party has been discussing election manifesto and farmers have been a major vote bank. BRS has won in 2014 and 2018. In 2023, they want to do a hattrick.
The state government is planning the pension scheme, apart from existing welfare schemes. Farmers who have farmland and patta passbook are likely to get pension.
Rythu Bandhu covers 68 lakh farmer families. The scheme is being designed in such a way that every family is likely to get a pension. KCR may be planning to give Rs 2,016 pension every month to all the farmers who may have completed 47 years of age in the state.
It is understood that 47-year-olds who have less than three to five acres of land are likely to be declared eligible for this pension.
The 2023-24 TS Budget made no mention of this scheme. That way, even Dalit Bandhu was started without being mentioned in the 2018 budget.
KCR feels the pension scheme will be useful. Senior leaders believe this will attract the nation’s attention.
Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bhima schemes are already being executed in Telangana. The state government is providing investment assistance for two crops at the rate of Rs.5,000 per acre in the name of Rythu Bandhu. Under the Rythu Bhima scheme, insurance of Rs 5 lakh is also provided to the farmer who owns one piece of land.
