Rythu Sangham seeks new law for tenant farmers

The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham on Friday urged the State government to bring in a new law to safeguard the rights of tenant farmers and to roll out the financial assistance schemes promised to them.

Speaking at a meeting of tenant farmers cultivating temple and inam lands, district secretary K. Srinivas said the repeal of the 2019 Cultivators’ Rights Act without a replacement had left many tenant farmers without legal protection. He said the government had yet to introduce a fresh law to address their concerns.

Mr. Srinivas called for the issuance of identity cards to all tenant farmers under the proposed legislation and their inclusion in the Annadata Sukhibhava investment assistance scheme. He pointed out that tenant farmers face rising cultivation costs and mounting debt and said each farmer should be provided with financial assistance of ₹20,000.

He also demanded lease identity cards for tenant farmers working on temple lands, stating that this would enable them to access crop loans, compensation, and other welfare schemes. Referring to Vadali village in Mudinepalli mandal, he urged the government to protect the rights of tenant farmers cultivating service inam lands and issue identity cards to them as well.

The Rythu Sangham warned that it would launch protests if the government failed to address these demands.

Farmer leaders Anagani Srirammurthy, Palli Sridhar, Kunchala Bullibabu, Korikani Venkateswara Rao, Bendu Paparao, Velamala Rambabu, and Mungata Nagavaraprasad were present at the meeting.