Amit Shah assures full central aid to farmers affected by floods in Maha

Nashik: Union minister for home and cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday assured the state govt of full central assistance to the farmers affected by excess rain and floods across Maharashtra over the last two months.

During his day-long tour of Ahilyanagar district, Shah inaugurated India's first cooperative multi-feed Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant and a potash granule production unit at the Maharshi Shankarrao Kolhe cooperative sugar mill at Kopargaon.

The Rs55 crore CBG plant will produce 12 tons of CBG daily and 75 tons of potash from jaggery, reducing the import of these products from abroad. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol were present.

Earlier, Shah inaugurated the extension unit of Padmashri Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Factory at Pravaranagar and unveiled life-size statues of Vitthalrao Vikhe-Patil, the doyen of India's cooperation movement, as well as of BJP's former union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil at Loni in Rahata taluka of Ahilyanagar. He also visited the revered Saibaba temple at Shirdi.

Shah said the Modi govt will provide full support to 15 selected sugar mills in the coming days to establish CBG plants and potash granule production units with the assistance of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). "Both these products are currently imported by India from abroad, and this new initiative will enable us to stop these imports, taking a step towards a self-reliant India," he said.

"All sugar mills should also undertake fruit processing, which will promote fruit cultivation and increase profitability of sugar factories," Shah added. "We will be giving priority to cooperatives for buying the ethanol and not the private organisations," he said.

Referring to the widespread damage caused by excess rain and floods in Maharashtra, Shah noted, "This year, crops and soil across more than 60 lakh hectares have been damaged. During my meeting with CM Fadnavis and deputy CMs Pawar and Shinde last (Saturday) night, I asked the state govt to furnish detailed information about the losses to the Centre, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not waste any time in providing help to the farmers."

Shah acknowledged Maharashtra govt's initial measure of giving Rs10,000 cash and 35kg foodgrains to affected farmers, besides relaxing the KYC terms for some time and waiving land tax and school fees.

The union minister acknowledged the vision of Vivek Kolhe, who is chairman of Maharshi Shankarrao Kolhe cooperative sugar factory and chairman of Sanjeevani rural education society, in adding new dimension to the cooperative sector by way of the CBG plant which, he said, should be replicated across the country.