Fact Check: Viral WhatsApp forward with ‘new guidelines’ of Rythu Bandhu is fake
Congress spokesperson rubbishes the claims in the viral message.
By Sunanda Naik Published on 12 Dec 2023 1:22 PM GMT
Hyderabad: A WhatsApp message in Telugu purportedly conveying changes to the Rythu Bandhu guidelines is being widely shared on social media.
Refer to the image below for the original Telugu WhatsApp forward.
The message, arranged in points, loosely translates to:
“Rythu Bandhu New Rules
- Only for those owning under 5 to 10 acres?
- Cut for government employees?
- Cut for those who pay IT and GST?
- Cut for those with loans above 20 lakhs?”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the government has not announced any changes to the existing Rythu Bandhu scheme.
We found many news outlets such as OneIndia, The Hindu and Deccan Chronicle reporting on a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy who asked the officials to transfer the Rythu Bandu amounts immediately to the farmers’ accounts. There is no announcement of any changes to the scheme, as mentioned in the WhatsApp forward.
We reached out to the Congress spokesperson, Sama Ram Mohan Reddy, who rubbished the claim in the viral WhatsApp message. “The new government is continuing with the existing regulations and guidelines of the Rythu Bandhu scheme with the same sanctions of Rs 10,000 per acre. There are no such changes as of now,” he said.
“On Monday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held a meeting to come up with ideas regarding providing Rs 15,000 per acre Rythu Bandhu assistance and the official waiver of loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakhs. Any other information in the WhatsApp forward is fake. If there are any changes to be made, it will be officially shared on the government’s portal,” he added.
The review meeting on the scheme was also reported by NewsMeter. According to the report, “In its poll manifesto ahead of the Telangana Assembly Election, the Congress had promised six guarantees which include the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Under Rythu Bharosa, farmers will get Rs 15,000 per acre every year; Rs 12,000 per year for agricultural labor; and a bonus of Rs 500 per year for paddy crops. As per the promise given by their government, the chief minister directed the officials concerned to prepare an action plan for the waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakhs availed of by farmers.”Moreover, we could not find any such notification or press release on the government’s official website as well.
Hence, the viral WhatsApp message is fabricated.
What is the Rythu Bandhu scheme?
According to the Telangana government’s website, to enhance agriculture productivity and income the farmers besides breaking the vicious cycle of rural indebtedness Agriculture Investment Support Scheme, popularly known as Rythu Bandhu was introduced in the year 2018-19 Kharif season to take care of the initial investment needs of every farmer.
Investment Support for Agriculture and Horticulture crops is being provided by way of a grant of Rs 5,000 per acre per season for the purchase of inputs like Seeds, Fertilizers, Pesticides, Labour and other investments twice a year, for Rabi (Yasangi) and Kharif (Rainy) seasons. This is the first direct farmer investment support scheme in India, where the cash is paid directly.
