State announces incentive scheme for sugar mills; to reward units for quality

The Maharashtra Government on Wednesday announced an incentive scheme for cooperative and private sugar mills aimed at building their financial capacity and encouraging quality performanceLaunched to mark the International Year of Cooperatives and the Diamond Jubilee of the cooperative sugar industry the scheme seeks to reward the bestperforming units on the quality front news agency PTI reportedAccording to a government resolution GR the plan aims to improve the quality of sugar mills and strengthen financial capacity by identifying and rewarding factories that meet competitive quality standardsUnder the scheme sugar mills will be evaluated annually across nine key parameters with prizes awarded to top performers The evaluation criteria include timely 100 per cent Fair and Remunerative Price FRP payment to farmers in the past three years 15 points performance of other departments in the mill 10 points highest sugar recovery rate 10 points production per hectare 10 points use of artificial intelligence and maximum area coverage 10 points low carbon emissions and high carbon credits 10 points timely repayment of government loans 10 points cost efficiency audit and overall operational efficiency 5 points and employee strength limits and wage payment 5 points PTI reportedThe selection process involves a twotier committee system Regional joint directors will submit lists of six best mills mdash three each from the cooperative and private sectors mdash from their divisions to a scrutiny committee headed by the sugar commissioner The committee will then shortlist six each cooperative and private mills from which another panel headed by the state cooperation minister will select the final three winners in each categoryDetails of prizes and other specifics will be announced later the resolution statedMaharashtra gems and jewellery policy sets Rs 1 lakh crore investment target to create 5 lakh new jobsThe Maharashtra Government on Wednesday announced its Gems and Jewellery Policy 2025 aiming to attract investments of Rs 1 lakh crore and generate 5 lakh new jobs in the sector over the next five years PTI reportedThe policy provides for financial incentives estimated at Rs 1651 crore during the 202530 period with an additional Rs 12184 crore allocated for the subsequent 20 years 20312050 bringing the total outlay to Rs 13835 crore according to a government resolution GR issued by the industry departmentThe GR stated that the policy is valid for five years or until a new plan is introduced The government has allocated Rs 100 crore in budgetary provisions for the current financial year 202526 under a dedicated mandatory head for policy implementationMaharashtrarsquos gems and jewellery sector contributes 18 per cent to Indiarsquos total gross value addition in the industry positioning the state as a leading hub for gems and jewellery in the country the GR stated The policy aims to double the statersquos exports in the sector and transform informal businesses into recognised industries through regulatory support financial incentives and access to formal marketsWith PTI inputs