Begin identifying tenant farmers under 2011 Act, parties urge govt.

Eight political parties in Telangana on Wednesday jointly urged the State government to immediately implement the Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011, and begin the process of identifying tenant farmers across the State. They demanded that licensed cultivators be issued identity cards and provided direct access to government schemes, agricultural inputs and other support systems.

The demand was made at an all-party meeting organised by the Telangana Tenant Farmers Recognition Struggle Committee at the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram presided over by the committee’s convenor, Prof. D. Narasimha Reddy.

In a joint statement, the parties said tenant farmers should be identified during the ongoing Kharif season itself based on the rules framed under the 2011 Act. They also sought permission for tenant farmers to sell their produce directly to government procurement agencies at Minimum Support Price (MSP) using officially issued identity cards. The parties further urged the government to complete all preparatory measures and issue a notification on the identification process before the commencement of the Assembly session on September 7.

The statement was signed by representatives of eight political parties, including the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Telangana Jana Samithi and other Left and regional groups.

Speaking at the meeting, noted academic and TPJAC convenor Prof. Haragopal said tenant farmers were among the worst affected sections in the ongoing agrarian crisis and deserved immediate recognition and institutional support.

According to speakers, tenant farmers account for more than 36% of cultivators in Telangana, covering nearly 22 lakh families, and contribute significantly to agricultural production. However, they have increasingly been excluded from benefits as government schemes, including PM-KISAN, have become linked to land ownership records and OTP-based verification systems.

The leaders criticised the previous BRS government for discontinuing implementation of the 2011 Act after 2017 and called upon the Congress government to honour commitments made to tenant farmers in its manifesto and by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy before the 2023 Assembly elections. They stressed that restoring recognition to tenant farmers was essential to ensuring equitable access to agricultural welfare and support schemes.

At the meeting, B. Kondal of Rythu Swarajya Vedika initiated the meeting, Vissa Kirankumar made a presentation, and speakers included Kanneganti Ravi of Rythu Swarajya Vedika, P. Shankar of Dalit Bahujan Front, and Skylab of the Kula Nirmoolana Porata Samithi.