Hyderabad: Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has demanded the state government to implement the Telangana Land Licensed Cultivators Act of 2011, and give loan eligibility cards (LEC) to all the tenant farmers so that they can avail crop insurance, farmers’ insurance, Rythu Bharosa crop input financial assistance, procurement, bank loans among other welfare benefits extended to land owners.
During a public hearing of tenant farmers held at Dharna Chowk on Wednesday, December 4, tenant farmers from various parts of the state spoke about the problems they have been facing because of successive governments not recognising them as farmers.
Professor G Haragopal, one of the jury members at the hearing, reminded chief minister A Revanth Reddy about the assurances he had given to 22 lakh tenant farmers across the state on September 13, 2023, through an open letter.
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“Revanth Reddy had criticised former chief minister KCR for neglecting the welfare of the tenant farmers in that letter. He made assurances to the tenant farmers. If the state government fails to abide by its assurances, then we would have to believe that there is no difference between the previous and present government,” Haragopal said, assuring that he would take the issue of tenant farmers to the notice of the state government.
Karrelli Yadamma, a tenant farmer from Pudur mandal in Vikarabad district, said that because of the state government taking pattadar passbook as the basis for extending government benefits, tenant farmers were becoming devoid of those benefits.
Because of one acre of her late husband’s land registered in the name of his elder brother, she was unable to avail either government loans or any other benefits.
Bingi Tirupathim, a tenant farmer from Kapparla village of Tamsi mandal of Adilabad recalled how the farmers in that region were able to receive loan eligibility cards because of the efforts of the then district collector Divya Devarajan, which not only helped them secure loans and other benefits, but also helped the farmers sell their cotton produce in Cotton Corporation of India’s procurement centres in 2018.
He said it was all made possible through the Telangana Land Licensed cultivators Act of 2011, which was enacted by the Congress government of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, which the present Congress government wasn’t seemingly willing to implement.
Senior journalist K Srinivas, another jury member, reminded that even Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had also made assurances to tenant farmers while releasing the Warangal Declaration, and that it was also part of Congress’ six guarantees.
He felt that only through waging democratic movements the tenant farmers needed to achieve their demands.
