Tenant farmers to get recognition soon: Bhatti

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has assured representatives of the Telangana Tenant Farmers' Recognition Movement Committee that the government will discuss the recognition of tenant farmers with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and initiate the process soon.

The assurance came during a meeting at Praja Bhavan on August 22 with prominent farmer leader and Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan national convener Yogendra Yadav, Prof. Kodandaram and committee representatives Vissa Kiran Kumar, B. Kondal and Kanneganti Ravi.

Yogendra Yadav strongly urged the government to immediately implement the Telangana Cultivators Act, 2011, and provide recognition cards to tenant farmers. He said recognition was essential to ensure that subsidies, fertiliser support, crop loans, market access and crop-loss compensation reached those actually cultivating the land. Yadav recalled that he had raised the issue during a public hearing organised by Rythu Swarajya Vedika in September 2023. He expressed disappointment that the recognition process had not begun despite the Congress government being in power for over two years. He said more than 90 per cent of tenant farmers belonged to SC, ST, BC and minority communities, making their recognition an important part of the government's social justice agenda.

Prof. Kodandaram said the Telangana Farmers Commission had also urged the Chief Minister to issue recognition cards under the 2011 Act.

Committee representatives submitted a proposal note on the recognition process, prepared after discussions with senior officials of the Agriculture and Revenue departments and the Chief Minister's Office. They also presented a survey covering 55 villages, which highlighted the hardships faced by tenant farmers due to the lack of official recognition. Bhatti said the demand was justified and assured the delegation that he would discuss the issue with the Chief Minister and work towards a Cabinet decision for early implementation. Yadav said Telangana's recognition mechanism could become a model for other states.