This happened after the finance minister of Telangana made the payment public, in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
It stated, “There shall be no disbursement under the Scheme till the Model Code of Conduct in the State of Telangana ceases to apply in all its forms.”
Telangana’s assembly elections are set for this Thursday.
Why is this story important?
On Thursday, almost 3.2 crore voters will choose 119 members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly.
A triangular contest between the Congress, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is scheduled to take place in the state.
There are currently 101 assembly seats held by the BRS, five by the Congress, three by the BJP, and seven by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
Telangana has instituted the Model Code of Conduct to stop political parties from swaying voters prior to elections.
The terms of ECI’s first approval
With some restrictions, the ECI on Saturday permitted the state government led by the BRS to distribute the rabi installment of the scheme even though the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) remained in effect.
During the MCC period, the government was directed not to disclose the fund disbursement.
On Sunday, Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao announced, “The disbursement will be made on Monday,” in violation of the regulations. The money will be credited to the farmers’ account even before they finish their tea and breakfast.”
Congress asks for BRS limitations.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar was reportedly approached by the Congress on Sunday to put limitations on the BRS and make sure it doesn’t bring up Rythu Bandhu Scheme disbursements during its election campaign.
The BRS leaders were accused by the Congress of giving money out of their own pockets by using the ECI’s approval as a “tool to influence” voters.
In response, BRS leaders said that the Congress was wrongly accusing them of impeding the distribution of funds to farmers.
About the Rythu Bandhu Scheme of the Telangana government
The Telangana government introduced the Rythu Bandhu Scheme, a welfare initiative, to encourage farmers to invest in two crops annually—kharif and rabi.
It was launched in 2018 by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and gives each of the state’s 58 lakh farmers an annual allowance of Rs. 10,000.
Two installments of the aid are given out: Rs. 5,000 for the rabi crops and an equal amount for the kharif crops.
According to reports, this is India’s first direct farmer investment support program.