Political tussle over Podu Cultivation and Forest Lands in Telangana

Activists have taken up the issue of Podu cultivation of adivasis and tribals in forest areas in Telangana.

What one means by Podu?

• Podu is a traditional system of cultivation used by tribes in India, whereby different areas of jungle forest are cleared by burning each year to provide land for crops.
• It is a form of shifting agriculture using slash-and-burn methods. The word comes from the Telugu language.
• Traditionally used on the hill-slopes of Andhra Pradesh, it is similar to the jhum method found in north-east India and the bewar system of Madhya Pradesh.

What is the ‘Podu’ Land Issue?

• The Telangana government had decided in 2021 to move landless, non-tribal farmers engaged in shifting cultivation inside forests to peripheral areas in an effort to combat deforestation.
• It ensured that all steps would be taken to ensure that forest land was not encroached upon.
• It is observed that podu progressively degrades large areas of the forest.

What TS has to offer as alternative to Podu?

• To stop this deforestation, the government wants to move out cultivators from deep inside forests to the periphery by allotting them land for cultivation.
• Tribal farmers who have been traditionally cultivating for decades would not be affected by this drive against illegal encroachers.
• The land ownership titles have been given to tribals and more than 3 lakh acres have been allocated to tribal farmers state-wide.

And what about non-tribal farmers?

• These farmers can apply to the state government to allocate them land outside the forests.
• Those who are moved out of the forests would be given land ownership certificates, power and water supplies and Rythu Bandhu benefits.

Back2Basics: Rythu Bandhu

• Rythu Bandhu is a scheme under which the state government extends financial support to land-owning farmers at the beginning of the crop season through direct benefit transfer.
• The scheme aims to take care of the initial investment needs and do not fall into a debt trap.
• This in turn instills confidence in farmers, enhances productivity and income, and breaks the cycle of rural indebtedness.

DBT under the Scheme

• Each farmer gets Rs 5,000 per acre per crop season without any ceiling on the number of acres held.
• 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.
• The grant helps them cover the expenses on input requirements such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor.

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