AP-FARMERS-SCHEME

More sops for AP ryots, total aid per annum goes up to Rs 15K
Amaravati, Feb 16 (PTI) In fresh sops to ryots ahead of
Lok Sabha polls,the Andhra Pradesh government Saturday further
modified the 'Annadaata Sukhibhava' scheme, announcing an
extra financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per annum to small and
marginal farmers, taking the total to Rs 15,000.
The overall assistance includes Rs 6,000 announced by
the Centre in its interim budget on February 1.
The state government, on its own, would pay Rs 10,000
per annum to farmers with a landholding of over five acres,
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said Saturday evening.
On February 13, the state Cabinet decided to uniformly
grant Rs 10,000, at the rate of Rs 5,000 per crop season, to
all farmers irrespective of the landholding.
While the Central government fixed a cap of five acres
for the financial assistance, the state government decided to
make it open-ended.
    "What the Centre is going to give is not adequate. We
have previously decided to give an additional Rs 4,000 but now
we have decided to make the state component Rs 9,000 per
annum.
    Thus, farmers up to a landholding of five acres will
get Rs 15,000 per annum (Rs 6000 from Centre and Rs 9,000 from
state) for Kharif and Rabi seasons.
    Those holding more than five acres will get Rs 10,000,
which will be totally the state government contribution," the
Chief Minister said after laying the foundation-stone for the
Muktyala Lift Irrigation Scheme.
The Chandrababu Naidu government announced 'Annadaata
Sukhibhava' scheme in the state Budget on February 5 and
earmarked Rs 5,000 crore in 2019-20 to provide economic
support (input grant) to farmers.
     Though the Kharif crop season begins only in June,
the state government decided to distribute cheques to farmers
by the end of February as the general elections are just three
months away.
     According to state government estimates, there are
about 54 lakh farmers with a landholding of less than five
acres and another 10-15 lakh with over five acres each.
     The Telugu Desam Party government is also working on
guidelines for extending the scheme to tenant farmers as well.
     Tenant farmers holding a cultivators certificate or
a loan eligibility card will be covered under the scheme.PTI
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