UP Sugar Mills Association (UPSMA) petitioned the Yogi government to decontrol molasses and allow its export to other states as mills were facing problem in storage due to glut of sugar during the 2017-18 season.
Molasses is a byproduct of sugar industry and primarily used for making country liquor, cattle feed and chemical industry. Ethanol produced from molasses is used for blending with petrol. The UPSMA urged the state government to promote production and usage of ethanol to keep molasses stock under check. In June, the government had raised mandatory reservation limit of molasses for country liquor industry from 50 to 60 per cent.
Association representatives pointed out that without decontrol, the country’s top sugarcane and sugar producing state was unlikely to optimally capitalise on ethanol price hike by the Centre unless the government decontrolled the sale of molasses.
Recently, the Centre had announced hike in ex-mill price of ethanol derived out of ‘C’ heavy (final) molasses by almost Rs 3 to Rs 43.70 per litre for the next contract period starting December, 2018.
Besides, for the first time, the Centre had decided to encourage production of ethanol, for blending with petrol, directly from sugarcane juice and ‘B’ heavy molasses by fixing a higher price of almost Rs 4per litre above the price of ethanol made from ‘C’ heavy molasses.
As per estimates, with 5 per cent mandatory blending requiring 1.6 billion litres of ethanol, ethanol manufacturers could fetch an additional revenue of around Rs 4,800 crore in the next crushing season.
However, despite market glut and record sugar production translating in record molasses production, the sugar industry was deprived of the benefits of bumper production.
“Unless the state governments relinquished their control of molasses for production of ethanol, manufacturers will continue to be conservative when participating in tenders floated by public sector oil marketing companies,’’said a Sugar Mill Association member.
In 2017-18, the total production of molasses stood at 5.32 million tonnes (MT) but only 2.97 MT was lifted, leaving unsold stock of 2.55 MT with mills.
The UPSMA lamented that while there was ‘sufficient’ demand for molasses in other states and international market, these options could not be fully availed in time due to restrictions imposed on export outside UP.
Meanwhile, the state government is looking at the new dynamics and a senior Cane department official said, “We would review the emerging situation and take a call accordingly in the interest all stakeholders in the state.”
PNS | lucknow
The Kisan Morcha of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would soon implement recommendations of Swaminathan Committee report leading to doubling of income of farmers by incorporating horticulture and cattle breeding as diversified sources.
National president of Kisan Morcha, Virendra Singh `Mast’ said that the Prime Minister had hinted at implementing Swaminathan Report recommendations at a ‘Kisan Samwad’ programe.
“The government proposes to give Rs 1 lakh for raring 10 sheep and Rs 10 lakh for raring 100 sheep. There are proposal to grow fruit bearing trees to help increase income of farmers,” Mast said while addressing media persons in lucknow on Tuesday.
Mast said that both Modi and Yogi governments were committed to improving the income of farmers. “Different policies were being envisaged and they would be implemented so that farmers could directly benefit,” he said.
Talking about steps that the Yogi government took in favour of farmers, he said that the government waived of crop loans worth Rs 1 lakh, ensured payment of cane dues, announced MSP for potato and paddy and ensured these were purchased at the government purchase centres.
“These are favourable decisions which definitely benefitted farmers. The Kisan Morcha will honour Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with Rishi-Krishi award at a function very soon in the state capital,” he said.
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PNS | lucknow
The Yogi Adityanath government decided to enforce a new dress code for students studying in Islamic religious schools called `madarsas’ affiliated to State Madarsa Board.
As part of its efforts to modernise madarsa education, the government plans to do away with the traditional white kurta-pyjama.
The move comes after the government implemented NCERT books in madarsas in an effort to bring students at par with their counterparts in other schools.
Minister of state for Minority Affairs Mohsin Raza said, “Our aim is to bring madarsas at par with other educational institutions. Till now, madarsa students wore white kurta-pyjama, which is more or less symbolic of a particular faith. We will soon propose a new dress code for them. With modern studies, students should also wear modern uniform,” he said.
Though Raza did not clarify what the new dress code would be, experts feel the students might be expected to wear trouser-shirt.
Calling upon Muslims to shed their minority mindset, the minister said,” Muslims should stop calling themselves as minorities and asked them not to be afraid of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modijee is not anti-Muslim.”
With lok Sabha elections around the corner, the BJP was trying to dent into the Muslim vote bank and was trying its best to project the PM as a well wisher of Muslims.
The state government has made changes in the syllabus to connect madarsas with mainstream education system, following which NCERT books were made mandatory.
The HRD ministry is working on a plan to revamp madarsa education in the country under Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM). Under this, institutions would have to get affiliated to either Madarsa Boards or State boards to be eligible for Central government funds.
The government is also planning to map madarsas in the country based on their Global Positioning System.
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PNS | lucknow
With 21 more aspirants taking the examination to get inducted into Media Cell of UP Congress, the party brass tried to play down the controversy surroundingthe process saying that no one would be selected or rejected and every one would be given some or the other responsibility after exams.
“We are not conducting examination to select or reject any leader. It was an aptitude test for party leaders willing to shoulder responsibility to popularize our agenda and tackle negative campaign launched against us,” AICC Media Wing co-ordinator Rohan Gupta.
Gupta, who was in l ucknow on Tuesday to take the examination of 21 candidates including Onkar Singh, Zeeshan Haider (former spokespersons) ZafarAli Naqvi and Pl Punia’s son, said that after the tests in other parts of UP, the aspirants would be given some responsibility or the other.
However, Gupta shied away from replying when asked that since the aspirants had taken the exam for spokesman’s post, how could they be adjusted to other wings just to placate them.
Interestingly, some aspirants even indulged in mass cheating in the exam conducted last Thursday.
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PNS | lucknow
Unfazed by a Supreme Court notice on police encounters, the UP government on Tuesday said that it was ready with the report to be submitted in the Apex court. “There is nothing to hide and Yogi government took the right decision to control crime in the state,” asserted government spokesperson and Energy minister Srikant Sharma. The Supreme Court on Monday had asked UP government to submit its report on police encounters within two weeks. Replying to a query in lucknow on Tuesday, Sharma said that criminals were now being dealt with iron fist and the government would not tolerate any criminal activity in the state.
Additional DG (law and order) Anand Kumar said on Tuesday that the UP Police would justify its actions in the court. He said that from the day Yogi government took charge in March 2017 till June 15, 2018, there have been 2,174 encounters in which 5,222 criminals were nabbed. In the cross firing, 59 criminals carrying cash rewards were killed and 534 injured.
Talking to reporters, the ADG said that four policemen were martyred while 390 suffered bullet injuries in these encounters.
“In the case of killing of 59 criminals, 25 magisterial probes have been completed. In 23 cases, the police have filed final reports out of which the courts have accepted 16 cases so far,” he said. Kumar said that the UP Police followed all norms set by Supreme Court in any encounter, including probes by different stations and by senior officers. “Besides, in all encounters magisterial probe were ordered, post-mortem of criminals killed was done by panel of doctors and reports were sent to National Human Rights Commission within 24 hours,” he said. The ADG clarified that the police has no intention of taking the life of any criminal but when during encounters, criminals open fire, they are retalited. He said during the past 18 months, over 7,000 criminals were arrested across the state of which over 2,000 were wanted and rewards were announced for their arrest. “Just killing of 59 criminals of 2000 dreaded ones cannot be termed that the UP Police was eliminating criminals in the name of law and order,” the ADG claimed.
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PNS | lucknow
A gazetted officer in Rae Bareli tried to hush up an abetment to suicide case involving a Dalit by filing a Final Report (FR). After finding that the allegations by the complainant were true, senior officers sent a report to the local court urging it to order a re-investigation.
As per reports, Shree Krishna Raidas of Johwarshaki hamlet of Harchandpur died under mysterious circumstances on August 23, 2017. His family lodged a case alleging that Raidas committed suicide under pressure after which a case was registered for abetment to suicide and under SC and ST Act. Circle Officer of Maharajganj, Gopinath Soni was asked to investigate.
However claiming that it was a simple case of suicide and no one was responsibly for it, Soni attached a final report in the court on September 7, 2017.
While supervising the probe, Addl SP, Shashi Shekhar Singh assessed foupl play on part of the CO, Gopinath Soni, he got the matter probed by Circle Officer of Dalmau, Vineet Singh on October 5 last year.
CO Dalmau found that the charges were true and also collected evidences to buttress them and requested the SP to get the probe reopened by recalling the investigation.
Afteran order from SP of Rae Bareli, the police filed a report in a local court requesting to re-open the matter so that the accused could be charge-sheeted.
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PNS | lucknow
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed that the state government would soon bring out a `road directory’ identifying all roads in the state so that responsibility could be fixed in case of poor maintenance.
Speaking in lucknow after launching `Chankya and Vishwakarma’ apps and holding video conferencing with senior officers on Tuesday, Maurya, who is also minister for Public Works Department (PWD), said that effortswereon to prepare a dairy of all roads, having information about department owning it and responsible for maintenance etc so that accountability could be fixed.
He said that the two apps launched on Tuesday would also facilitate transparency and expedite on-going projects through better and close monitoring.
Maurya said that e-governance and e-office facility have been launched and now all projects of more than Rs 1 crore will be e-billed through `Chankya’ app while demand of projects and their allotments will be made with the help of `Vishwakarma’ app.
The minister said that ongoing inspection of roads in the state was underway and data were being prepared on details of patch work, status of road surface, status of on-going projects, new proposed project etc, after which they would be analysed and action would be taken.
Maurya said that a mobile app was also being uploaded on the mobile phones of senior officers so that they could directly upload present status of roads from the spot and later review and take action.
The minister said that all those who topped the Board exams in 2017, their villages would be linked with pucca roads. He said that, out of 97 toppers, the estimate of 86 roads have already been submitted and construction work in their villages would be taken up soon.
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PNS | lucknow
The lok Gathbandhan Party (lGP) welcomed the decision of Supreme Court on issuig notice to UP government in connection with police encounters during the last one year.
The Apex court took up the matter following a PIl which demanded a CBI investigation in at least 1500 police encounters in which 58 people were killed.
Spokesman of lGP said in lucknow on Tuesday that immediately after the BJP government took over in 2017, instructions were issued to kill criminals which led the trigger-happy police to go berserk in the name of controlling law and order.
“Such a large number of encounters surely provide justified ground for high-level probe as there are reports that in the name of killing criminals, the police were settling personal scores. Even as the law and order situation continues to be bad, the police were given a free hand by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to eliminate criminals,” he said.
The spokesman said that the Noida incident of shooting of an innocent person in February last was a glaring example of how the police were running amok.
“Wrapped up as encounter, the police got licence to kill anybody in the state,” he alleged.
He said that the lGP was not opposed to elimination of hardened criminals who have become menace for the society but the way UP Police has been behaving was disturbing and dubious.
“In the past, there have been cases when the police helped one criminal group to settle score with the other. The cops could not be given free hand to randomly kill people, as happened in Noida,” he said.
The lGP spokesman said that these encounters have not helped in controlling crime but have led to police anarchy.
“The BJP’s slogan of ‘bullet for bullet’ in curbing crime has been badly exposed as people are worried about the prevailing situation,” he said.
Criticising the government for its utter failure in improving law and order, the spokesman said that despite tall claims, ground realities were absolutely different.
“The BJP had come to power on issues of poor crime situation during SP government, bad governance and massive corruption but it too has failed to make any change in this connection during the last one year,” he said.
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PNS | lucknow
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will launch a ‘Jail Bharo’ movement to protest against the Yogi government’s failure in addressing farmers’ woes and ordering encounters in the state.
This was informed by member of CPI (M) polit bureau Subhasini Ali during her interaction with media persons at state CPI headquarters in lucknow on Tuesday.
Ali said that the public angst against the BJP government was brewing and this was evident as the ruling party faced poll drubbings in recent Assembly and lok Sabha bypolls.
“The BJP did nothing for farmers benefit nor did it clear their arrears. Canals are drying up this summer and farmers are passing through a harrowing time. I heard from some officials that the state government was planning to stop water to canals to meet the water supply for Kumbha,” she said.
Welcoming the Apex court decision to seek reply from UP government on encounters, she said that the Yogi government claimed that they would lower the crime rate by intimidating criminals.
“The dossiers on the crime, however tells a different story. The data showed that overall crime had increased by 85 per cent in UP while crime against women witnessed a spurt of 71 per cent with large number of rape cases being reported in the last one year. One will seldom agree that the order to carry out encounters had lessened crime in the state,” Ali hit out at the state government.
She went on to say that most encounters which took place in UP were staged and conducted out of personal enmity.
“We have heard that police used to terrorize innocents by threatening to send them to jail. Some of those killed in encounters might havehad animosity with policemen and they were killed over this,” she said.
The CPI (M) leader said her party condemned the encounters which were taking place in UP and said it was violation of human rights of a person.
She highlighted police highhandedness saying that the police challaned and sent to jail minors treating them as adult in some districts of west UP.
“Four minor Dalits were jailed under National Security Act for voicing concern during ‘Bharat Bandh’ in Meerut on May 2. A dozen of Dalits including four minors were sent to jail and were put along with adult criminals which is a gross violation of rights of children,” she pointed out.
She also spoke on GST and said that the Union government was celebrating the successful passing of one year of GST.
“Contrary to this, the public at large is not happy with the GST. Small time shop owners are the worst hit. The GST is so confusing that most vendors had wound up businesses,” she said.
About united opposition and alliance partners during the 2019 elections, Ali said that she was not an astrologer to foretell but one thing was sure that the BJP was not coming to power at the Centre again.
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