Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday directed officials to set up biofuel briquetting plants in all cooperative sugar mills of the state so that the financial condition of the sugar mills can improve. Presiding over a review meeting of the Naraingarh Sugar Mill here in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said the work of setting up a biofuel briquetting plant had been started in the Kaithal Cooperative Sugar Mill as a pilot project, in which bagasse briquettes are being made and sold to thermal power plants and other consumers of Haryana. This has also improved the financial condition of the sugar mill considerably.

He directed the officials to set up such plants in other cooperative sugar mills of the state on the same lines. Every possible effort should be made to bring the cooperative sugar mills out of losses, he added. Saini expressed happiness over the steps being taken by the government in the interest of cooperative sugar mills and farmers in the state and the continuous improvement in the efficiency of cooperative sugar mills. The Chief Minister was informed in the meeting that in the current crushing season 2024-25, till January 13, all the cooperative sugar mills associated with Sugarfed have crushed a total of 113.56 lakh quintals of sugarcane and produced 9.18 lakh quintals of sugar with an average sugar recovery of 8.70 per cent. In the last crushing season 2023-24, Rohtak, Sonipat, Jind, Palwal, Meham, Kaithal and Gohana cooperative sugar mills saved about 7.14 lakh quintals of bagasse and earned additional revenue of Rs 1,630.31 lakh. During the meeting, Sugarfed Chairman Dharambir Singh Dagar gave suggestions to improve the financial condition of the sugar mills.

Reviews schemes of Housing for All Department; Issues instructions to officers

In another meeting, Saini said that under the 'Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Yojana' and 'Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana', the state government will soon provide housing facility to all underprivileged families. The Housing for All Department has made all necessary arrangements in this direction. The allotment of 100-square-yard plots to eligible individuals will be carried out in a phased manner.

Under the scheme, the 100-square-yard plots will be given in developed colonies with all essential amenities, similar to urban areas. To facilitate this, the Chief Minister has already approved an allocation of Rs 100 crore.

The Chief Minister directed the officers to ensure that eligible families are provided the option of financing the amount for flat or plot allotment through banks. This will ensure that no eligible family is deprived of the scheme’s benefits, even if they are unable to make a lump sum payment.

It was informed during the meeting that under the schemes, all eligible families in the state who do not own a house, land to build a house, or a flat, and whose annual income is less than Rs 1.80 lakh, have been identified. Under the 'Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Yojana', over 5 lakh people have applied for 100-square-yard plots, and all eligible beneficiaries will soon receive their plots in phases. Similarly, under the scheme, 50-square-yard plots will be allotted in Mahagram Panchayats.

Similarly, under the 'Mukhyamantri Shahri Awas Yojana', more than 2.89 lakh families living in cities, which do not own a house and have an annual income of less than Rs 1.80 lakh, have applied for housing. Among them, approximately 1.51 lakh individuals have applied for plots, and 1.38 lakh have applied for flats. Last year, provisional allotment letters were issued to 15,256 applicants.

It was informed in the meeting that Housing Board Haryana has successfully developed a Property Management System (PMS) software to manage the data of approximately 80,000 allottees. Previously, all property records were maintained manually by estate managers in ledgers, and allottees had to visit the concerned estate manager's office to update their details after making EMI payments. In addition, the Property Management System portal has been integrated with the Jamabandi portal, enabling seamless registration of properties under Housing Board Haryana. This integration ensures greater transparency and accuracy in property records. The Property Management System should also be linked with the Parivar Pehchan Patra to improve the implementation of schemes in the future, said the Chief Minister.

Meets Japanese delegation

In another event, the Chief Minister met with a Japanese delegation to discuss various projects being set up in the State. The Japanese delegation included Chairman, Fumio Sashida, Kazunobu Miyake, General Manager, ATL, Guan Zemin, and Sumit. Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Arun Gupta, Advisor, Foreign Cooperation Department, Pawan Choudhary were also present during the meeting.

Saini said that Foreign Department has been established to attract and assist foreign investors. Many major companies are interested in setting up projects in Haryana. The government has provided robust infrastructure and connectivity, making regions like Gurugram and the NCR a hub for reputed companies looking to invest. He emphasised that all necessary facilities for starting projects are now available under one roof, making Haryana the top choice for investors.
The Japanese delegation said that TDK, a renowned Japanese company, is setting up a huge plant in Sohna. This initiative will not only create job opportunities for the youth but will also contribute significantly to the state’s economic growth.