more-inA roundtable organised by the Telangana Kaulu Rythula Sangham here on Sunday demanded that the State government extend the investment support scheme to tenant and podu cultivators, the hardest hit by the agrarian crisis. Addressing the meeting, Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary M. Ramesh alleged that the State Government declared tenant and podu cultivators as ineligible to avail the investment support scheme on unjustified grounds depriving the actual tillers of the much needed support. Denial of financial aid to tenant and podu cultivators, who form the major chunk of small farmers in the State, would further aggravate their agrarian distress, he warned. He demanded that the government extend investment support of ₹8,000 per acre per annum to the tenant, podu and all other cultivators, who are the actual tillers. The roundtable passed a resolution demanding urgent steps to bring the tenant and podu cultivators under the ambit of the input subsidy scheme, which is set to become operational in the next crop season.

Source: The Hindu March 12, 2018 03:18 UTC