The Karnataka government intends to protect cooperative sugar factories, especially those that have stopped functioning due to various reasons, by restarting them.
The previous government had decided to hand over the closed cooperative sugar factories to private entities on a lease basis. As per the news report by The Times of India, Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil said, “Our government has planned to revamp such debt-ridden factories by sanctioning loans to them at low interest rates.”
He assured farmers that the government would take swift action within 24 hours if any complaints of fraud in weighing sugarcane at factories are registered. He made this statement after receiving a memorandum from workers of the Karnataka Rajya Rait Sangh and Hasiru Sene, who were protesting at Suvarna Garden near the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) on Monday.
“The farmers should not hesitate to file complaints. The government will support them by registering criminal cases. Additionally, complainants will be rewarded with Rs 1 lakh, and the government will take responsibility for crushing their sugarcane,” Patil assured.
Patil also announced that the office of the Sugar Commissioner would soon be relocated from Bengaluru to Belagavi.
The minister also mentioned that the government had decided to install digital weighing machines in various locations, especially in sugarcane-growing areas. “Although some sugar industries have approached the court against this initiative, the government is committed to protecting the interests of sugarcane farmers,” he clarified.
MLAs NH Konareddy, Darshan Puttannaiah, and farmers’ leaders Chunappa Pujeri, Prakash Naik, Pacche Nanjundaswamy, and Shashikant Naik were also present at the event.
