Hyderabad

The State Government has provided insurance assistance worth ₹3,301.90 crore to the families of 66,038 deceased farmers under the Rythu Bima scheme during the last two-and-a-half years, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said on Thursday.

Providing details of the Bima scheme, the Minister stated that from December 2023 till date, 66,038 farmer families had benefited from the programme, with insurance claims amounting to ₹3,301.90 crore directly credited to the nominees’ bank accounts.

Out of this, ₹1,004.50 crore was paid to 20,090 families between December 2023 and the end of that year, while ₹1,293.05 crore was disbursed to 25,861 families during 2024.

For the financial year 2025-26, a total of 42.16 lakh farmers have been enrolled under the Rythu Bima scheme, he said. The government has paid the entire annual premium of ₹1,359.56 crore to LIC, ensuring coverage for all registered farmers. As a result, insurance assistance worth ₹1,004.35 crore has been extended to 20,087 bereaved farmer families during the year, providing crucial financial support in difficult times.

In a statement, he dismissed the allegations by BRS leaders that the Rythu Bima scheme had been discontinued, and termed the campaign as completely false and misleading.

The Minister accused the previous government of suspending several beneficial schemes, including agricultural mechanisation, soil health testing, and subsidised seed distribution. He also alleged that the BRS government failed to release the State’s share for centrally sponsored schemes, depriving farmers of important benefits.