Andhra Pradesh’s coalition government has rolled out the rebranded ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’scheme, replacing the earlier Rythu Bharosa initiative. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidulaunched the scheme in Veerayapalem, Prakasam district, initiating direct cash transfers tosupport farmers.
Under the scheme, ₹7,000 will be credited to each of the 46.85 lakh eligible farmers —comprising ₹5,000 from the state and ₹2,000 under the central PM-KISAN scheme. In the firstphase, the state is disbursing ₹2,342.92 crore, while the Centre contributes ₹831.51 crore.
However, the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has criticized the move, alleging delaysin implementation and reduction in scope. It claims that the current scheme excludes nearly 7lakh farmer families compared to the previous 53.58 lakh beneficiaries under their government.The YSRCP also argues that the scheme falls short of the ₹20,000 per farmer promise madeduring elections and accused the state of merging central funds to inflate benefit figures. Itfurther alleged that ₹10,800 crore in pending dues from last year’s support remain unaddressed.
