Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has announced plans to set up a national party with the help of other regional parties, has promised to implement the Rythu Bandhu scheme across the country.
“It will cost about Rs 3.5 lakh crore to implement the scheme for all farmers in the country,” he said. The Rythu Bandhu, introduced in Telangana in the last kharif, provides a financial help of Rs 4,000 each in both kharif and rabi seasons to farmers for every acre they own.
Interacting with the media after getting elected as the leader of legislature party at the Telangana Bhavan (party headquarters) on Wednesday, He said both the BJP and Congress-led alliances have undermined the rights of States by wresting all powers with the Centre.
“The Centre is unnecessarily keeping powers with itself impeding the development of States. It is not doing the things that it supposed to do. This needs to be changed,” he said. Citing the examples of rural development, urban development, healthcare and education sectors, he felt that there was no reason for the Centre to keep powers on these subjects, creating roadblocks to the States.
He questioned the ceiling on the quantum of reservations. “We need to factor in the changes (increase in the population). For example, about 85 per cent of the population in Telangana belong to backward classes,” he pointed out. On the Unemployment Compensation scheme, he said the new government would appoint a committee to finalise modalities. “It will be introduced in the next financial year. We expect about 10 lakh youth,” he said. He said the State would require another Rs 70,000 crore to complete the ongoing irrigation schemes.