Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao on Tuesday alleged that the Congress government has betrayed every section of society, including farmers and students. He demanded that the government immediately release the pending Rythu Bharosa amount to farmers.
Allegations of Unpaid Dues
“The state government owes farmers Rs 19,000 crore in Rythu Bharosa dues as it skipped three instalments. This includes Rs 9,000 crore from one completely missed instalment, Rs 4,000 crore due to restricted payments in the subsequent season, and Rs 6,000 crore due to limiting assistance to only two acres in the latest phase. All pending dues to farmers should be released immediately,” Harish said while speaking at a BRS party workers meeting at Alganur in Karimnagar district.
Concerns Over Power Supply
On the proposed rythu discom, Harish alleged that the move would undermine the 24-hour free power supply provided to agriculture. He said farmers were already facing reduced power availability and warned that the proposed model could further restrict supply to a few daylight hours dependent on solar generation. “Farmers are facing multiple hardships, including delays in paddy procurement, deductions in grain purchases, fertilizer shortage, and the suspension of the Rythu Bhima scheme due to non-payment of premiums. The government is yet to pay Rs 2,100 crore in bonus payments to farmers,” he said.
Accusations of Corruption
The former minister alleged that the Congress government had replaced welfare schemes with scams and accused it of corruption in civil supplies, Singareni, power, land transactions, and even welfare programmes in Gurukul institutions. Alleging irregularities in Gurukul institutions, Harish said tenders worth nearly Rs 1,200 crore for uniforms and shoes, along with contracts worth Rs 800 crore for food supplies, had been awarded under questionable circumstances. He claimed that even the ministers concerned appeared unaware of the details of tenders issued by their own departments.
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About the Author: Koride Mahesh has been working with the Times of India, Hyderabad for over two decades. He is currently senior assistant editor of TOI, Hyderabad. He holds a PhD in Journalism and has a total of 32 years of experience in print journalism. He extensively writes on urban infrastructure, projects, civic issues, real estate market, land issues, energy, irrigation, and state government administration in Telangana. He also covers state political developments, especially BRS.
