Rs 12,000 cr farmers' financial assistance scheme from May 10 in Telangana

A Rs 12,000 crore financial assistance scheme for the benefit of farmers will be rolled out by the Telangana government from May 10. Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, in a review meeting today, suggested that the ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other local body representatives be made stakeholders in the programme. "We have to distribute 58 lakh passbooks and cheques. Printing of passbooks and cheque books is in the process of completion and will be over by this month end. Passbooks and cheques will be supplied to district, mandal and village wise," a release from his office quoted him as saying.

The Chief Minister said arrangements had been made to give financial assistance of 6,000 crore in the first phase to be distributed for monsoon crops. The money had been kept in banks, which should pay cash to the farmers once they present the cheque in the bank, or else action would be taken against them, Rao said. The state government allotted Rs 12,000 crore in the budget for implementation of the scheme, under which a financial assistance of Rs 4,000 per acre would be provided to all farmers in the state.

The Government has allotted Rs 6,000 crore for the first phase of the scheme.