About Rythu Bandhu Scheme:
- The Rythu Bandhu scheme, also known as the Farmer's Investment Support Scheme (FISS), is a welfare programme for farmers started by the Telangana government in 2018.
- The objective of this scheme is twofold:
- to provide a timely cash grant for the initial investment needs of farmers
- to ensure that farmers do not fall into the debt trap.
- Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per acre per farmer each season is directly transferred to each farmer's account.
- This financial support was distributed biannually, allocated for both the kharif and rabi harvests.
- The assistance can be used for the purchase of inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, labour, and other investments in the field operations of Farmer’s choice for the crop season.
- Eligibility:
- The scheme is open to all resident farmers in the state who own land.
- Farmers cultivating the land in the forest, a majority of them from Scheduled Tribe communities and having a Record of Forest Rights (ROFR) document, are also eligible to receive benefits under the scheme.
- It is the country's first direct farmer investment support scheme where cash is paid directly to the beneficiary.
