HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao instructed officials to release Rs 7,300 crore as financial assistance under Rythu Bandhu scheme The farmers' financial assistance will be given from December 27 to January 7, an official release said on Monday. The CM instructed the officials to deposit the amount directly into accounts of farmers

He said distribution of the financial assistance should begin with farmers who have less holding of lands and go on to those having a large extent, even as all of them should get the assistance in 10 days.

Meanwhile, a separate release from the CMO said that KCR had instructed the officials concerned to get a brand image to the high quality Cotton being produced in the state to increase its demand globally. He also wanted a strategy to be prepared to give publicity to the special qualities of the Cotton grown in the State. The Chief Minister suggested that that the Agriculture department should conduct a conference with all the experts and specialists in the field, it added.

The Chief Minister held a series of review meetings on Rythu Bandhu and expansion of farm operations at Pragathi Bhavan here. The review meeting discussed the strategy for distribution of Rythu Bandhu assistance and finalised the action plan. Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary for Finance K Ramakrishna Rao, Principal Secretary for Agriculture B Janardhan Reddy, and others attended the meeting.

Meanwhile a nationwide strike on Tuesday was called for by agitating farmer unions to press for repeal of the Centre's agri laws even as the farmer leaders said that no one should be forced to join the shutdown. The TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had extended support to the Bharat Bandh and said the party rank and file would actively participate in it to ensure it was a success.

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