RYTHU BHAROSA – PM KISAN

Dr B. YUVARAJA REDDY,
Lecturer in Commerce,
S.V. Arts College (TTD),
TIRUPATI.

Introduction
YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the president of “Yuvajana Sramika Rythu
(YSR) Congress” party, noticed that the problems faced by the farmers of
Andhra Pradesh during his a very long PADAYATHRA (a march for a very
long distance) for a period of 14 months, which covered around 3648 kms.
He listened to the problems explained by the farmers during his
padayathra and noted that the farmers were unhappy and leading a
miserable life since the death of the former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar
Reddy. After completion of his padayathra, at the time of general
election, he and his team of party members framed a manifesto which
consists 9 major welfare schemes called NAVARATNALU. The 9 welfare
schemes (navaratnalu) consist YSR Rythu Bharorsa, YSR Asara, Pension
Scheme, Amma Vodi, Housing Scheme for the poor, Aarogya Sri, Fee
reimbursement, Jala Yagnam and Prohibition of Alcohol. The Navaratna
schemes have greater impact in the Andhra Pradesh General Elections
2019, and YSR Congress party got landslide victory.
YS Jaganmohan Reddy, while swearing-in as the Chief Minister of
Andhra Pradesh on 30th May 2019, utmost priority has been given to
implantation of the Navaratna schemes. Agriculture, Education and
Health are noted as top prioritized areas. Subsequently, the Government
of Andhra Pradesh has taken various steps to implement the welfare
schemes relating to these prioritized areas.
Among the various welfare schemes called Navaratnalu, YSR Rythu
Bharosa (renamed as YSR Rythu Bharosa – PM Kisan on 14 th and 15th
October 2019) will be the first and most important scheme which needs
much attention. In order to implement this scheme, the Government of
Andhra Pradesh has to spend a huge amount of money. The previous
government led by N. Chandra Babu Naidu introduced Annadata
Sukheebhava which covered only land owner cum farmer i.e., it does not
cover the tenant farmers.
YSR RYTHU BHAROSA scheme covers both owner farmers and
tenant farmers. As per the promise given by YS Jaganmohan Reddy
during election campaign, this scheme is to be implemented in the next
year i.e., 2020 onwards. But YS Jaganmohan Reddy decided to implement
this scheme from 2019 onwards with a view to provide financial support to
the farmers. The RYTHU BHAROSA scheme covers all farmers (including
tenant farmers). As per the election manifesto, Rs.12,500 will be given
per farmer per year for 4 years. Altogether Rs.50,000 benefit will be
provided. On 14th October 2019, the Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh decided to increase the benefit from Rs.12,500 to Rs.13,500 per
farmer. As per the request of members of the farmers’ association
(agriculture mission) the Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
announced to pay Rs.13,500 per year as an incentive or input subsidy
before sowing the seeds during Rabi and Kharif seasons i.e., Rs.7,500 in
the month of May (for Rabi), Rs.4,000 in the month of October (for Kharif)
and Rs.2,000 for Sankranti of every year for a 5 year period. As per the
estimations, implementation of this scheme requires around Rs.13,125
crore (@ Rs.12,500 per former).
The YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme covers the following additional
benefits apart from the above-mentioned financial benefit. The key
features of YSR Rythu Bharosa are
KEY FEATURES OF YSR RYTHU BHAROSA SCHEME
i) This scheme ensures agricultural sector prosperity.
ii) It provides financial assistance to the farmers at the time of
sowing the seeds during two seasons called Rabi and Kharif as
every beneficiary assured to receive Rs.13,500 per annum.
iii) The scheme assures to provide financial assistance for a period
of 5 years (instead of 4 years) in a continually.
iv) Transfer of money via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) which
eliminates the middlemen.
 v) It provides assistance to the landless farmers or tenant farmers
along with owner farmers.
vi) Under this scheme, the government will pay crop insurance
premium on behalf of farmers.
vii) Provision of free bore well (for this the government has to
purchase 200 Rig machines - 175 machines @ one machine for
each assembly constituent and 25 rig machines for each
parliament constituent)
viii) Providing 9 hours free power during the day time for agriculture.
ix) Providing power at concession rate (i.e., Rs.1.50 per unit) to Aqua
Culture farmers.
x) Establishment of Rs.3,000 crore Corpus Fund for price
stabilization with a view to assure the minimum supporting price
to the farmers for agricultural produce.
xi) Maintenance of a cold storage godowns in every assembly
constituency.
xii) Payment of Rs.7 lakh under YSR Bhima to the family of the
farmers who passed away accidentally or by suicide.
For all this purpose the Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh made
an allocation by granting Rs.17,000 crore in the budget to the agriculture
sector alone.

Differences between YSR Rythu Bharosa and Rythu bandhu schemes

are
YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme is different from Rythu bandhu scheme,
followed by the neighbouring state Telangana. The following are the
major differences between Rythu Bharosa and Rythu Bandhu.
1) The Rythu bandhu scheme covers only farmers who have own lands
and it does not cover the tenant farmers, whereas the YSR Rythu
Bharosa scheme covers both owner farmers and tenant farmers.
2) The Rythu Bandhu scheme provides Rs.10,000 per annum which will
be paid in two equal instalments, whereas, the Rythu Bharosa
scheme provides Rs.13,500 per farmer per year in 3 instalments.
 3) Rythu Bharosa scheme also includes various other benefits to the
farmers like payment of crop insurance premium, minimum
supporting price guarantee, establishment of Rs.3,000 crores of
Corpus Fund for price stabilization etc.
4) Another important distinction is under YSR Rythu Bharosa, the
money is directly transferred to beneficiary’s account i.e.,
interference of middlemen is eliminated.

IMPLEMENTATION OF YSR RYTHU BHAROSA – PM KISAN

The YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme proposed has been renamed as YSR
Rythu Bharosa – PM Kisan scheme. It was launched on 15 th October 2019.
The Rythu Bharosa scheme provides an amount of Rs.13,500 per annum
on the instalment basis as an incentive or input subsidy before sowing the
seeds during Rabi and Kharif seasons i.e., Rs.7,500 in the month of May
(for Rabi), Rs.4,000 in the month of October (for Kharif) and Rs.2,000 for
Sankranti of every year for a 5 year period. Out of Rs.13,500, Rs.6,000 is
the Central Government contribution under PM Kisan Nidhi in three equal
instalments to the land owner farmer families and to the SC, ST, BC and
minority landless or tenant farmer families. The remaining Rs.7,500 is the
State Government Contribution. The Honourable Chief Minister extended
the time up to 15th November 2019 to enroll the farmers who are eligible,
but not included in the list released, to claim the benefit under the YSR
Rythu Bharosa- PM Kishan scheme. Around 53 lakh farmers are covered
under this scheme.

ELIGIBILITY
A. Land Owner Farmer Families:
• The benefit of the scheme shall be provided to all the landholder
farmer families who collectively own cultivable land irrespective of
size of land holdings @Rs.13,500/- per annum (Rs.7,500/- under
YSR RYTHU BHAROSA and Rs.6,000/-under PM-KISAN) per family as
per land records, subject to valid exclusions.
• Farmer families Cultivating under ROFR lands and D Patta Lands
( which are duly incorporated in the relevant records ) are eligible
for benefit under YSR Rythu Bharosa.
• Farmers cultivating Acquired Lands for which compensation was
not paid are eligible for the benefit under the scheme.
• In case of joint holding, the benefit will be transferred to the bank
account of the person of the family with highest quantum of
landholding.
• If the quantum of cultivable land owned by two or more individual
family members is a same, the benefit will be transferred to the
bank account of the elder/eldest, as the case may be, of such
members of that farmer family.
• The cut-off date for determination of eligibility of beneficiaries
under the scheme shall be 30.09.2019. It was extended up to 15 th
November 2019.
B. Land Less Cultivators:
• The tenant-farmer/family-member shall not have any
Agriculture/Horticulture / Sericulture Land of his own.
• Support will not be extended for lease agreements within the
family.
• Minimum Area to be taken for lease by a single individual Landless
Tenant is as follows.

Minimum Economical
S.No Crop
Lease Extent (acres)

1 All Agriculture, Horticulture and Sericulture Crops 1.0 Acre (0.4 Ha)

2 Vegetables, Flowers and Fodder crops 0.5 Acre ( 0.2 Ha)

3 Betel Vine 0.1 Acre (0.04 Ha)

• Irrespective of Size of Holding, benefit will be extended to only one
cultivator per Land Owner family between whom there will be
lease agreement.
• Only One Tenant / Cultivator belonging to SC, ST, BC and Minority
Category will get benefit along with Land Owner Farmers. In case
of multiple tenants to a single land owner, preference is given to
 the ST tenant for providing financial benefit followed by SC, BC,
Minority tenants in the order of preference as per the existence of
such categories.
• In Tribal areas, as per the Statute, only Tribal Cultivators/ tenants
are recognized.
• A Land Less Tenant / Cultivator having multiple lease agreements
is eligible to get benefit as single unit.
• The lease agreement entered between Landless Tenant/ Cultivator
and a Marginal Farmer who are residing in the same village will not
be entertained.
• Cultivators/ Tenants cultivating the lands of Owners of excluded
categories are eligible for the benefit under Rythu Bharosa.
• Tenants cultivating Inam lands/ Endowment lands will be extended
benefit as per the recorded evidence available with Department of
Endowments.
Exclusions
The following categories of beneficiaries of higher economic status
shall not be eligible for benefit under the scheme:
A. All Institutional Land holders; and
B. Farmer families in which one or more of its members belong to
following categories
i. Former (ex) and present holders of constitutional
posts,
ii. Former (ex) and present Ministers/ State Ministers and
former/present Members of Lok Sabha/ Rajya Sabha/
State Legislative Assemblies/ State Legislative
Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal
Corporations, former and present Chairpersons of
District Panchayats,
iii. All serving or retired officers and employees of Central/
State Government Ministries /Offices/Departments and
its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached
offices /Autonomous Institutions under Government as
 well as regular employees of the Local Bodies
(Excluding Multi-Tasking Staff / Class IV/Group D
employees),
C. All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is
Rs.10,000/- or more (Excluding Multi-Tasking Staff / Class
IV/Group D employees) of above category.
D. All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year
Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered
Accountants and Architects registered with Professional bodies
and carrying out profession by undertaking practices.
E. Persons owning farm lands converted into House sites.
Aquaculture or any other non-agriculture usage either updated
or not updated in the Revenue Records. Necessary ground
truthing shall be done by the village level functionaries of
Revenue and Agriculture Departments.
F. Persons paid Commercial Tax/ Professional Tax/ GST during last
assessment year.

CONSTRAINTS TO YSR RYTHU BHAROSA – PM KISAN SCHEME

The major constraint for implementation of this scheme is it requires
around Rs.13,125 crore per annum. Another important area which needs
much attention is selection of real beneficiaries.

CONCLUSION
The Rythu Bharosa scheme is regarded as most important welfare
scheme which provides financial support to the small and marginal
farmers because around 65 to 70 percent of the Andhra Pradesh
population depends upon agriculture. Therefore, the Government of
Andhra Pradesh has to take all measures to improve the income in order
to implement this scheme. At the same time the government should take
all precautionary steps to reduce or minimize the mistakes in selection of
real beneficiaries. Another important request is implementing the scheme
with transparency without any problems which occurred during the
implementation of similar scheme in the previous government.