20 December,2023 07:31 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. Pic/X
The Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday passed the Maharashtra Bovine Breeding Regulation Bill, 2023 which seeks to regulate the breeding of bovine species including cows, reported the PTI.
According to the news agency, the 'Maharashtra Go Jatiya Prajanan Bill' was presented by Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in the upper house.
It provides for stringent quality control measures for the semen used in artificial insemination, regulation of insemination practices and the creation of the Maharashtra Go Rajya Prajnan Niyaman Pradhikaran (Bovine Breeding Regulation Authority), a dedicated body for overseeing and enforcing quality control, the minister said, as per the PTI.
The bill also promotes technological advancements such as the use of sex-sorted semen at a subsidized rate and aims to address the shortage of qualified veterinarians by establishing private veterinary universities, said Vikhe Patil.
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The legislation has the potential to rejuvenate the dairy industry in Maharashtra and seeks to make the state a leader in sustainable and high-yield milk production, he said.
Maharashtra legislative council passes bill to waive duty on electricity charges for Metro rail
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday passed a bill that proposed to waive the electricity duty on the power consumed by Metro rail operations in the state, reported the PTI.
According to the PTI, tabling the bill to amend the Maharashtra Electricity Duty Act, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the energy portfolio, said the move aligns with an earlier waiver granted to the monorail services in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation had sought a waiver on duty on energy consumed by Metro services.
Congress member of legislative council Satej Patil raised questions over the effectiveness of the waiver and sought to highlight what he called fare disparities between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai Metro services, as per the PTI.
Despite opposition from NCP member Eknath Khadse, the upper house cleared the bill, the news agency reported.
On Wednesday announced a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for milk producers which will be implemented for the next two months.
State animal husbandry and dairy development minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil made this announcement in the legislative assembly.
The government has decided to give a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre to milk producers who supply it to cooperative dairies. This decision will remain effective for the first two months of the next year, he said.
(with PTI inputs)
