"Modi govt ensuring farmers welfare by financially strengthening cooperative sugar mills": Amit Shah

New Delhi [India], October 5 (ANI): Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated the expanded facility of the Pravara Sugar Factory in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, and unveiled the statues of Padma Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil and Padma Bhushan Balasaheb Vikhe Patil.
Addressing the program organised in Ahilyanagar, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that only the followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj could have the courage to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar -- the followers of Aurangzeb do not have such courage.
He said that this time, more than 60 lakh hectares of farmland and crops in Maharashtra have been destroyed due to heavy rains. He said that under the Centre's share for the financial year 2025-26, Rs 3,132 crore has been allocated to Maharashtra, out of which Rs 1,631 crore was released by the Modi government in April itself.
Shah said that the trio of Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar in the Maharashtra government has also taken several initiatives to help farmers. He stated that the Maharashtra government announced a relief package of Rs 2,215 crore, benefiting over 31 lakh farmers.

He added that the state government also initiated a scheme to provide Rs 10,000 in cash and 35 kg of food grains to affected farmers. Moreover, recovery of short-term agricultural loans was suspended, and exemptions were granted in land revenue and school examinations.
On behalf of Prime Minister Modi, the Union Home Minister assures that there will be no delay from Prime Minister Modi in helping the farmers from the state, the moment the Maharashtra government sends a detailed report.
He emphasised that all this has been possible because the people of Maharashtra have chosen a government that truly cares about farmers.
Amit Shah announced that today, life-size statues of Padma Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil and Padma Bhushan Balasaheb Vikhe Patil were unveiled.
He said that Padma Vikhe Patil dedicated his entire life to the welfare of farmers in this region and across Maharashtra. Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, he added, was one of the pioneers of India's cooperative movement. In the history of Maharashtra's cooperative sector, the trio of Padma Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, Dhananjayrao Gadgil, and Vaikunthbhai Mehta laid the foundation of the cooperative movement in the state.
Shah said that Padma Vikhe Patil established what was in itself the world's first cooperative sugar mill, and this initiative led to the prosperity of farmers not only from Maharashtra but also in Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and several other states. He added that it was Padma Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil who pioneered the system through which the profits of sugar mills went into farmers' bank accounts instead of traders' pockets.
Union Minister of Cooperation said that Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, the son of Padma Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, not only strengthened the cooperative movement but also pioneered a new tradition of using cooperative profits for education, health, and rural progress through the Cooperative Institute. He noted that in his life spanning over eight decades, Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil was elected to Parliament seven times and also served in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government.
Shah said that thanks to his initiative, the Reserve Bank of India provided a revival package to Madhavpura Mercantile Cooperative Bank, which helped save 225 cooperative banks in Gujarat. He added that both these eminent personalities made immense contributions to the fields of cooperation, rural development, and farmers' welfare.
Amit Shah said that today, the Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Mill has also been renovated. He noted that when the mill was established in 1950-51, its processing capacity was 500 tonnes of sugarcane per day, which has now increased to 7200 tonnes per day. In the coming years, its processing capacity will rise from 7200 tonnes to 15000 tonnes of sugarcane per day.
He said that when Prime Minister Modi established the Ministry of Cooperation, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) introduced a scheme to strengthen cooperative sugar mills. Under this scheme, financial support was provided to well-performing units, among which the Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Mill is now being expanded.
Shah mentioned that the alcohol distillation plant of this sugar mill has increased its capacity from 15 kilolitres per day to 92 kilolitres per day (KLPD), and approval has been granted to further expand it to 240 kilolitres per day. Similarly, the ethanol plant's capacity has grown from 20 kilolitres per day (KLPD), to 150 kilolitres per day (KLPD),, the biogas plant's capacity has increased from 12,000 cubic meters per day to 30,000 cubic meters per day, and the cogeneration plant's capacity has risen from 30 megawatts to 68 megawatts.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the number of sugar mills in the country has increased by 67, and sugar production has risen by 1 million metric tonnes. He added that the number of distilleries has doubled, ethanol production capacity has increased fivefold, and its supply has grown tenfold. Furthermore, ethanol blending in petrol has now reached 20 per cent.
He said that this clearly shows cooperative sugar mills have immensely benefited since Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister. He further stated that one of the major decisions of the Modi government was waiving over Rs 10,000 crore of income tax dues for farmers. (ANI)