Radampally Venkatamma, a tenant farmer from Rangareddy district, has been patiently waiting for compensation from the Telangana Government after her husband committed suicide in 2011.

Her hopes were dashed again this May when she was pronounced ineligible for the Rythu Bandhu scheme. Under the new scheme, farmers get financial assistance of ₹4,000 each in the Kharif and Rabi seasons.

“The State Government says there are no tenant farmers, making them ineligible for the scheme. If they come to villages we will show them how many of them are into farming,” she said.

Scores of farmers gathered here on Monday to protest their exclusion from the scheme. Farmer after farmer gave vent to their financial woe, accentuated by poor access to institutional credit.

They demanded that the government implement the Licensed Cultivators Act of 2011 that made them eligible to get Loan Eligibility Cards. The conference was organised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), which comprises of 24 farmer organisations.

T Sagar of Telangana Rythu Sangham (CPM) said that tenant farmers accounted for 30 per cent of agriculture in the State. “There are about 20 lakh tenant farmers, who find it very difficult to get institutional credit,” he said.

The AIKSCC has asked tenant farmers to give a missed call to 040-39560444 to show their strength. “Since the CM questions the existence of tenant farmers, we urge every tenant farmer to give a missed call so that we can show there are lakhs in the State,” Kirankumar Vissa of AIKSCC said.

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