Central Idea

The ECI ordered the Telangana government to stop all the disbursements under the state government’s Rythu Bandhu Scheme after a violation of the model codes of conduct.

Rythu Bandhu Scheme: Key Facts

The Rythu Bandhu scheme is also known as Farmer’s Investment Support Scheme (FISS).
It is a welfare programme for farmers started in 2018 by the Telangana government.
Under the scheme, the state government provided the 58 lakh farmers in Telangana with ₹5,000 per acre of their land as a farm investment for two crops.
There is no ceiling on the number of acres held by a farmer.
So, a farmer who owns two acres of land would receive Rs 20,000 a year, whereas a farmer who owns 10 acres would receive Rs 1 lakh a year from the government.
This investment is made twice a year, once for kharif harvest and once for Rabi harvest.
It is the country’s first direct farmer investment support scheme where cash is paid directly to the beneficiary.

The election commission had allowed the disbursement of funds for the rabi harvest this season, provided they are not publicised, in accordance with the model code of conduct.
However, the model code was violated after the state finance minister made a public announcement of the same.