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.
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