Launching a diatribe against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for “labelling his sticker” on the Central government schemes, the BJP, at its ‘Janaagraha Sabha’ recently, particularly made a mention of the YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan scheme.
With the BJP leaders pointing out that the PM Kisan (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) scheme cannot be combined with any scheme implemented by any State / UT, the State government seems to be in a fix.
Should the Centre choose to delink the scheme, the State government has to find a way out for continuing Rythu Bharosa as a stand-alone scheme from kharif next.
In such a scenario, the State government has to mobilise at least ₹3,250 crore additionally if it is to implement the scheme on its own.
Since inception of the scheme in December 2018 and up to December 7, 2021, the Central government has paid more than ₹8,185 crore to 54.32 lakh beneficiaries in the State.
A sum of ₹1,036 crore was credited into the bank accounts of more than 50.58 lakh farmers as part of the YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan scheme on January 3 this year.
‘Dubious claims’
“The Jagan Mohan Reddy government is hoodwinking the farmers by putting out full page advertisements in newspapers that it is a State scheme. But people are not blind to believe such dubious claims,” says BJP State general secretary Vishnuvardhan Reddy.
“The State government has no authority to combine YSR Rythu Bharosa with PM Kisan,” he says.
Referring to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s reply in the Rajya Sabha, he says, “PM-Kisan, being a Central scheme, cannot be combined with any other scheme implemented by any State / UT.”
However, A.P. State Agriculture Mission Vice-Chairman M.V.S. Nagi Reddy says there is no truth in the allegation that the State government is claiming entire credit.
“The scheme is christened YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan. In a federal system, it is not correct to demarcate it as State and Central schemes. The ultimate objective is to see that farmers are benefited,” Mr. Nagi Reddy observes.
‘No communication yet’
When contacted, Agriculture Commissioner H. Arun Kumar says the State government has not received any communication from the Union government on delinking of Rythu Bharosa and PM-Kisan.
The State government has extended a financial assistance of ₹18,777 crore to 2.01 crore families under the scheme.
During 2019-20, an assistance of ₹6,534 was given to 46.79 lakh families. It was ₹6,567 crore during 2020-21 and ₹6,981 crore during 2021-22. This includes ₹13,500 per annum given to tenant and tribal farmers, whose number is about 1.50 lakh.
