Telangana’s government released Rs 2,482 crore in Rythu Bharosa assistance to the bank accounts of 41.37 lakh farmers on Tuesday, kicking off the first phase of this season’s payout under the state’s flagship farm investment scheme. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, oversaw the release, which was originally planned for Madhira but shifted to Hyderabad because of heavy rains.
Under Rythu Bharosa, eligible farmers with arable landholdings receive Rs 12,000 per acre annually, split into two instalments of Rs 6,000 each for the Kharif and Rabi seasons. The state has approved a total outlay of Rs 9,000 crore for this round, with around 73 lakh farmers expected to benefit as further phases roll out in the coming weeks.
At the release event, Revanth Reddy urged farmers to rethink their cropping choices for the current Kharif season, appealing to them to shift toward rainfed and less water-intensive crops and scale back paddy cultivation. He cited a weaker-than-usual monsoon this year, linked to a Super El Nino effect, as a reason for caution, warning that over-reliance on paddy could strain irrigation resources if rainfall stays erratic through the season.
The timing of the release is significant: it lands just as sowing decisions are being finalised across the state, giving farmers upfront capital for seeds, fertiliser and other input costs before the season gets underway. Officials said the scheme’s direct bank transfer model, without middlemen, has been central to its popularity since its earlier avatar as Rythu Bandhu.
Farmer groups broadly welcomed the disbursement but flagged that delays in earlier phases had caused cash-flow stress for smaller landholders in previous seasons. The government has promised that subsequent phases will follow a tighter schedule this year. With heavy rains already recorded across several districts in the past few days, officials are also watching for flooding risk even as they push the rainfed-cropping message, a balancing act that is likely to remain a talking point through the rest of the Kharif season.
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