Hyderabad: In a shift from the earlier rollout of farm investment support schemes, the Congress govt has decided to extend the first phase of Rythu Bharosa to all farmers for at least one acre of land, irrespective of the size of their holdings. In the first phase, about ₹3,590 crore will be disbursed to nearly 70 lakh farmers.The move marks a departure from the earlier system where only farmers owning one acre or less received assistance in the initial phase, while those with larger landholdings had to wait until the final stages of disbursement. From March 22, every eligible farmer in the state will receive support for one acre in the first phase itself. Confirming this, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said chief minister A Revanth Reddy would release the first phase of Rythu Bharosa assistance for nearly 70 lakh farmers simultaneously. Earlier, payments under the investment support scheme were released in eight phases. Farmers owning one acre were paid first, followed by those with two to three acres and so on, with larger landholders receiving payments only towards the end. This meant that some farmers had to wait for nearly three months after the disbursement process began. The staggered system often drew criticism due to delays and concerns about the inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries. In several villages, disputes emerged over beneficiary lists, leading to pressure from farmer unions on the govt to streamline the process. To address these issues, the govt has decided to credit the first instalment simultaneously to all eligible farmers for one acre of land. To reduce delaysOfficials said the revised system was designed to reduce delays and speed up the disbursement process. The second phase, involving ₹2,650 crore, will be released within 20 days, while the third phase is expected to be completed by the end of April. According to official estimates, 62.48 lakh farmers in the state own up to one acre of land, and this category is expected to account for nearly 90% of the total beneficiaries. In all, about ₹9,000 crore has been earmarked under Rythu Bharosa to support cultivation across 1.50 crore acres in the state across the three phases. Opportunity for new applicants Farmers who received new pattadar passbooks by Feb 28 but have not yet availed investment support can apply for Rythu Bharosa by the 25th of this month. Applicants should submit their Aadhaar card, pattadar passbook and a photocopy of their bank account along with the application form at local Rythu Vedika centres or with agricultural extension officers, sources said. GFXDetails of Farmers in the State are as Follows.Acres, Number of FarmersLess than 1 acre, 24.22 lakhLess than 2 acres, 17.02 lakhLess than 3 acres, 10.45 lakhLess than 4 acres, 6.33 lakhLess than 5 acres, 4.43 lakh
