No sugar mill in Maharashtra should be without ethanol distillery: Shah

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said there should not be a single sugar mill in Maharashtra that is not producing ethanol.

He was speaking at a public event after launching the digital portal of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office in Pune.

Huge funding is available under various schemes for cooperative societies which can be utilised for setting up distilleries. Sugar mills in the state should avail of the loan facility. There should not be a single sugar mill in Maharashtra that is not making ethanol. It is an emerging market and rates are also good for the same, Shah said.

On the digital portal of the CRCS office launched by him, the Union minister said, The digital portal is aimed at increasing the efficiency and transparency. The cooperative sector cannot move forward without modernisation, transparency and accountability.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government last month, was present on the occasion.

Shah said, This is my first public programme with Ajit Pawar. I want to tell him that he is now sitting at the right place after a long time. This was always the right place for you, but you came to sit here very late.

State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis were also present at the event.