Welfare scheme comes with a rider

Ryot’s name removed from Bandhu list as he grew ganja

The administration of Mahabubnagar district has recently removed the name of a farmer of Manikonda village of Mahabubnagar Rural Mandal from the list of Rythu Bandhu beneficiaries following a decision taken at a meeting held by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to stop the benefit to farmers found cultivating cannabis (ganja), as part of curbing its use among other drugs. A team of excise and revenue officials found the farmer to be raising ganja on his 1.5 acres land during searches in October last.

The officials gave the farmer’s name for denial of Rythu Bandhu for cultivating the contraband. Based on the report, the district authorities removed his name from the list of beneficiaries. As a result, the farmer would not get the benefit from the next agricultural season till a decision is taken to restore it.

When students are already under pressure due to loss of academic days and the COVID threat haunting them, the government officials perhaps increased their anxiety with delayed information on exams.