75 per cent of Rythu Bandhu scheme cheques, passbooks distributed in Kothagudem

​Kothagudem: The distribution programme of cheques and passbooks under the Rythu Bandhu scheme is being completed 75 per cent in the district. The district was allocated Rs. 150 crore for the distribution of the cheques by the government to the 1,50,000 farmers including the Right Of Forest Refusal ( ROFR) farmers.

District Agriculture Assistant Director Abhimanyudu said, 75 per cent of the cheques and passbooks were distributed in the district. He said, the program is going on in all villages and the Revenue department is conducting the pass books verificatons, if any mistakes in names or address have entered they could correct them immediately.

Chief Secretary of the government S.K. Joshi conducted a review meeting with Collectors about the programme. The programme had commenced on May 10 across the State. June 20 is the deadline for the programme for the distribution of cheques and passbooks to the farmers.

According to sources, even after twenty days since the program had started in the district, no village cleared 100 per cent cheques and passbook distribution to the farmers. As many as 50,000 passbooks are pending for distribution.

As per the records, the government had identified 1.50 lakh farmers eligible for this scheme. In around 369 villages as of now one lakh farmers have received the cheques and passbooks. The remaining 50,000 passbooks are still have to be distributed. The tahsildhars have kept those cheques and pass books in their offices.

They have asked the people who have not received the passbooks and cheques can collect the same from their offices. The officers said the clearly the books and cheques are issued only to the persons who mentioned the names in the cheques and passbooks. If the persons do not come to collect the pass books and cheques till June 10 it will be sent to the Rythu Co-Ordination Committee for the distribution according to the government orders, the officers said.

The officers identified that above 25 per cent of farmers who are the landowner in the district, have gone to the other places and countries. The officers also submitted the details of the identified farmers list to the government.

The government has to draw a plan for the distribution of cheques to the farmers who are living in other places. The action plan is ready for the distribution those type of the issues in the state. A source said, on the appeal from the NRIs, the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister had conducted a meeting with the Collectors and discussed the NRI issue. The government is committed to clear all cheques and passbooks of the scheme before the 20th of the month.

On the other hand, farmers are facing the problems of cashing in the cheques from the banks due to the two-day banks’ strike and non-availability of cash in the rural banks.

One Farmer R.Muthaiha from the agency Mandal said, so many times he visited the banks to withdraw the Rythu Bandhu cheque amount but the banks said they were short of cash. He also said that the scheme of the Rythu Badhu would be very useful in the Kharif season because of the input subsidy. However, in few days the agriculture season will start but because of the shortage of cash in banks farmers are unable to cash in their cheques.