Union Home Minister Amit Shah announces two ambitious projects in Kolhapur and Pune

₹3,000 crore for Maharashtra’s cooperative sector

Ichalkaranji (Kolhapur) – Announcing major initiatives aimed at strengthening the cooperative and sugar industries in western Maharashtra, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah unveiled two large projects worth ₹3,000 crore for the State’s cooperative sector. He said that a cooperative processing cluster project worth approximately ₹1,500 crore would be established in Kolhapur district, while another ₹1,500 crore would be invested to revive the defunct National Heavy Engineering Cooperative in Pune. He was speaking at a public gathering organised at the Kallappanna Awade Textile Park in Ichalkaranji.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Guardian Minister Prakash Abitkar, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Shiv Sena MP Dhairyasheel Mane, BJP MP Dhananjay Mahadik, MLAs Rahul Awade, Shivaji Patil, Ashok Mane, Ravindra Chavan and Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, Mayor Uday Dhatund and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Amit Shah further stated

“Since the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation, the Union Government has taken several historic decisions to provide stability to the sugar industry. Income tax liabilities amounting to approximately ₹46,000 crore on sugar factories have been waived, and loans exceeding ₹10,000 crore have been made available through the National Cooperative Development Corporation. Measures such as increasing the ethanol blending ratio and reducing Value Added Tax on ethanol from 28% to 5% have given a new lease of life to the sugar industry. A cooperative processing project worth around ₹1,500 crore will be set up in Kolhapur district to process by-products generated by all cooperative sugar factories. Since all profits generated through this project will be redistributed among the participating sugar factories, it will greatly benefit farmers, cooperative institutions and the rural economy.”

Ichalkaranji to receive water supply from the old Danwad scheme: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Drinking water for Ichalkaranji city will be supplied from Old Danwad in Shirol Taluka until 2051, and the State Government will provide the necessary funds for the project. A solar park will also be established for the powerloom industry to provide affordable and clean electricity.”