Hyderabad, Jun 22 (IANS): The Telangana government on Tuesday asked banks not to withhold any amount being credited in the accounts of farmers under Rythu Bandhu, the investment support scheme of the state government.

Finance Minister T. Harish Rao, along with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, held an emergency meeting with bankers, on the issue. Any amount which has been withheld/adjusted shall be credited back to the farmers' accounts, he said.

The meeting was called after instances came to the notice of the government that some banks are not allowing the farmers to withdraw their Rythu Bandhu amount given by the state government and also adjusting the same against old dues.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had issued directions to hold the emergency meeting with the bankers.

Bankers responded that no such instructions to withhold the Rythu Bandhu funds were issued. The minister issued clear instruction to the bankers not to withhold any of the Rythu Bandhu amount in future.

Harish Rao told the bankers to issue strict instructions to all the bank branches and District Collectors were also instructed to monitor the same at the district level. A state level team will monitor any issues faced by farmers.

The government also launched two toll free numbers to address any issues faced by farmers. They can contact 18002001001 or 04033671300 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The minister also instructed the bankers to expedite the disbursement/renewal of crop loans.

The government started crediting the amount under Rythu Bandhu on June 15 and the process will continue till June 25. Every farmer will get Rs 5,000 as investment support for every acre of the land for the current crop season.

A total of Rs 7,509 crore will be provided to over 63 lakh farmers under the scheme.