Rythu Bandhu Scheme:
The Election Commission recently withdrew the permission given to the Telangana government to disburse financial aid to farmers under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme.
- Rythu Bandhu Scheme also known as the Farmer’s Investment Support Scheme (FISS), is a welfare programme for farmers started by the Telangana government in 2018.
- The objective of this scheme is to provide a timely cash grant for the initial investment needs of farmersand o ensure that farmers do not fall into the debt trap.
- Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per acre per farmer each season is directly transferred to each farmer’s account.
- This financial support was distributed biannually, allocated for both the kharif and rabi harvests.
- The assistance can be used for the purchase of inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, labour, and other investments in the field operations of Farmer’s choice for the crop season.
- The scheme is open to all resident farmers in the state who own land.
- Farmers cultivating the land in the forest, a majority of them from Scheduled Tribe communities and having a Record of Forest Rights (ROFR) document, are also eligible to receive benefits under the scheme.
- It is the country’s first direct farmer investment support scheme where cash is paid directly to the beneficiary.
