Tenant farmers seek identity cards, welfare benefits

Key Demands

■ Implement the 2011 Licensed Cultivators Act by issuing annual identity cards to tenant farmers.

■ Extend all government welfare schemes to recognized tenant farmers, including crop loans and subsidies.

■ Restore the benefits previously available through Licensed Cultivator (LEC) identity cards.

■ Scrap the mandatory OTP verification linked to landowners for accessing welfare schemes.

■ Recognize tenant farmers at the start of every cropping season to ensure timely access to government benefits.

Metro India News | ADILABAD  

A district-level meeting of tenant farmers was organized in Adilabad town on Wednesday at the PRTU Bhavan under the banner of the Telangana Tenant Farmers' Recognition Committee. Addressing the gathering, Vissa Kiran Kumar and B. Kondal Reddy said that tenant farmers constitute more than 36% of Telangana's farming community and play a vital role in agricultural production. However, they said, these farmers are denied benefits available to land-owning farmers. 

They also mentioned that Tenant farmers are not officially recognized and unable to access subsidized fertilizers, crop loans, crop loss compensation, Rythu Bima insurance or even sell their produce to government procurement agencies, they said. They alleged that the continued neglect of tenant farmers by successive governments has contributed to farmer suicides. The leaders said the Telangana Tenant Farmers' Recognition Committee, comprising several people's organizations and eminent personalities, has been campaigning across the state to pressure the government into recognizing tenant farmers.

They also presented findings from a recent statewide survey conducted by the committee, which covered 1,816 tenant farmers across 58 villages in 47 mandals of 22 districts. Kondal Reddy explained the key findings, noting that the survey report has already been presented to senior state officials, civil society organizations and stakeholders in the agriculture sector through state-level consultations.

Katla Kumaraswamy says,

"The landowner lives in the United States and does not share OTPs, so I am unable to register as a tenant farmer. Officials should issue identity cards independently without requiring the landowner's signature or OTP. Crop insurance and Rythu Bima should be extended to those who actually cultivate the land."

The meeting was attended by state and district leaders of the committee, tenant farmers, representatives of various people's organizations, and Khanapur MLA Vedma Bojju Patel, along with other public representatives. Tenant farmers from Both, Neradigonda, Talamadugu, Tamsi, Bhimpur, Adilabad Rural, Bela, Satnala, Boraj and Gudihatnoor mandals participated and shared the hardships they face.

Representing the state-level committee were Vissa Kiran Kumar, B. Kondal Reddy, T. Sriharsha, along with Mahitha and Praneetha from the Rythu Swarajya Vedika. On behalf of the Adilabad district committee, M. Ramakanth welcomed the participants and introduced the speakers, while Sangepu Borranna conducted the meeting.

A district committee of tenant farmers was also announced with the following members: A. Rakesh, Shahrukh, Gella Mallesh, Bingi Tirupati, Sai Chaitanya, Mondela Rajender, Katla Kumaraswamy, P. Santosh, T. Poshetty, Rasam Narasimha and Kode Pramod.

The meeting was attended by Bandi Dattatreya of the Telangana Rythu Sangham, Konda Ramesh and Poshetty of the All-Party Farmers' Association, Aggimalla Ganesh, State Convener of the Dalit Shakti Programme (DSP), Shashikanth, District SC/ST Committee member, Vidyasagar, leader of the Rythu Poru Yatra, and retired Agriculture Officer Narsinga Rao, all of whom expressed solidarity with the demands of tenant farmers.