Start identifying tenant farmers under the 2011 Act, parties urge Govt.

MLC M. Kodandaram speaking at an all-party roundtable on tenant farmers. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Eight political parties in Telangana on Wednesday jointly urged the state government to immediately implement the Licensed Growers Act, 2011 and start the process of identifying tenant farmers across the state. They demanded that licensed cultivators be issued with identity cards and given direct access to government programs, agricultural inputs, and other support systems.

The demand was made at an all-party meeting organized by the Tenant Recognition Struggle Committee of Telangana Tenants at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, presided over by the convener of the committee, Prof. D. Narasimha Reddy.

In a joint statement, the parties said that tenant farmers should be identified during the ongoing Kharif season itself based on the rules laid down in 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 called on the government to complete all the preparatory measures and issue a notification on the identification process before the session of the Assembly begins on September 7.

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

At the meeting, well-known academician and convener of TPJAC prof. Haragopal, said that tenant farmers are among the worst affected sections of the ongoing agrarian crisis and deserve immediate recognition and institutional support.

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

Criticizing the previous BRS government for stalling the implementation of the 2011 Act after 2017, the leaders called on the Congress government to honor the commitments made to tenant farmers in its manifesto and by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. They stressed that restoring recognition to tenant farmers is essential to ensure equitable access to agricultural welfare and support regimes.

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

Published – 02 Sep 2026 23:59 IST