Rythu Bandhu / Rythu Bharosa (Telangana Investment Support)

Rythu Bandhu (literally "farmer's friend") is the Telangana government's flagship per-acre cash transfer to landholding farmers in the state. Announced on 25 February 2018 by the then state government and rolled out from kharif 2018, the scheme was structured as an agriculture investment support transfer paid per season into farmer bank accounts. The successor administration relaunched it as Rythu Bharosa.

Overview

The scheme pays a fixed amount per acre per season to all landholding farmers as recorded in state land records, independent of the crop sown or the income status of the household. It is administered by the Telangana State Agriculture Department.

Eligibility

All farmers with cultivable land recorded in their name in Telangana's land records are eligible. Unlike PM-KISAN, the original Rythu Bandhu did not impose a landholding cap or income-based exclusion; eligibility is being progressively re-framed under Rythu Bharosa.

Benefit and structure

Rythu Bandhu (original): Rs 4,000 per acre per season at launch, subsequently raised to Rs 5,000 per acre per season (Rs 10,000 per acre per year, paid twice — kharif and rabi)
Rythu Bharosa (relaunched 26 January 2025): Rs 12,000 per acre per year, paid in two instalments
Mode: bank account credit or earlier cheque distribution to the recorded landholder

Implementation

The Telangana State Agriculture Department executes the scheme through its district network, drawing on land records from the Dharani portal. Payments are released ahead of each cropping season to time them with sowing expenses. The state runs parallel farmer-welfare schemes — life insurance under Rythu Bima and an MSP-plus bonus for fine paddy (see Telangana Fine Paddy Bonus) — alongside the central PM-KISAN transfer (see Pm Kisan Samman Nidhi).

References

Rythu Bandhu — Telangana Agriculture Investment Support Scheme. Telangana Agriculture Department.
Rythu Bharosa Telangana. rythubharosa.co.in.