Hyderabad: With farmers gearing up for the kharif season, the state govt has decided to release Rythu Bharosa input assistance on June 30. At the same time, it has advised farmers not to begin sowing operations immediately after the first spell of rain and instead wait for at least two spells of 7 mm rainfall each to ensure adequate soil moisture.The decision was taken at an informal cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister A Revanth Reddy at the secretariat on Thursday. The meeting was held in a paperless digital format for the first time, with ministers provided tablets for accessing cabinet agenda notes and documents. The ministers were given tabs by the CM and IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu. Physical copies will no longer be circulated.Briefing the media after the meeting, ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Tummala Nageswara Rao and D Anasuya (Seethakka) said discussions focused on Rythu Bharosa, paddy procurement, availability of seeds and fertilisers, the proposed Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G Ram G), Hyderabad Metro Rail financing and other issues.Revanth Reddy will formally launch the Rythu Bharosa disbursement at a public meeting in Madhira, Khammam district, on June 30. The financial assistance will be credited directly into farmers’ bank accounts on the same day.The cabinet also decided that the state would procure paddy and other crops strictly in accordance with the procurement quota and minimum support price (MSP) announced by the Centre. Officials said the move was aimed at preventing procurement-related difficulties for farmers in future.Uttam Kumar Reddy said the govt would continue to pay a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for seven varieties of fine rice, which account for nearly 83 per cent of the fine rice cultivated in the state and enjoy strong market demand beyond the govt procurement system.“We have requested the Centre to procure the entire paddy output of Telangana,” he said.He said, henceforth, the state would procure only those crops for which the Centre declares MSP and undertakes procurement, and only to the extent of the quota fixed by it.Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao urged the Centre to allocate additional fertiliser supplies to Telangana. “Since Ramagundam Fertiliser Corporation of India (FCI) is located in Telangana, the Centre should allocate more quota to the state instead of sending it to MP or Bihar.”He said a delegation of ministers would soon visit Delhi to renew the demand.On the VB-G Ram G scheme, the cabinet opposed the Centre’s move to recast Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. “The state will urge the Centre to continue the existing employment guarantee law without any changes. A cabinet sub-committee will study the impact of the new law on labourers and on the state,” Seethakka said.The cabinet sub-committee, comprising Uttam Kumar Reddy, Tummala Nageswara Rao, Seethakka and Vivek Venkataswamy, would examine the implications of the proposed reforms. The panel will study developments in other states, assess the financial impact on Telangana and recommend the state’s future course of action.
