Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated the expanded facility of the Pravara Sugar Factory in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, and unveiled the statues of Padma Shri Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil and Padma Bhushan Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. On this occasion, several dignitaries were present, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Shri Eknath Shinde and Shri Ajit Pawar, and Union Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Murlidhar Mohol. Prior to this, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation visited Shirdi Sai Dham, offered prayers to Sai Baba, and prayed for the happiness and prosperity of all citizens of the country.

Addressing the program organized in Ahilyanagar, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that only the followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj could have the courage to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar — the followers of Aurangzeb do not have such courage. He saidthat this time, more than 60 lakh hectares of farmland and crops in Maharashtra have been destroyed due to heavy rains. He said that under the Centre’s share for the financial year 2025–26, ₹3,132 crore has been allocated to Maharashtra, out of which ₹1,631 crore was released by the Modi government in April itself.Shri Shah said that the trio of Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Shri Eknath Shinde, and Shri Ajit Pawar in the Maharashtra government has also taken several initiatives to help farmers. He stated that the Maharashtra government announced a relief package of ₹2,215 crore, benefiting over 31 lakh farmers.

He added that the state government also initiated a scheme to provide ₹10,000 in cash and 35 kg of food grains to affected farmers. Moreover, recovery of short-term agricultural loans was suspended, and exemptions were granted in land revenue and school examinations.

On behalf of Prime Minister Modi,Union Home Minister assures thatthere won’t be fraction’s delay from Prime Minister Modiin helping the farmers fromstate, the moment Maharashtra government sends a detailed report.He emphasized that all this has been possible because the people of Maharashtra have chosen a government that truly cares about farmers.

Shri Amit Shah said that today, the life-size statues of Padma Shri Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil and Padma Bhushan BalasahebVikhe Patil have been unveiled. He said that Padma Shri Vikhe Patil dedicated his entire life to the welfare of farmers in this region and across Maharashtra. Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil, he added, was one of the pioneers of India’s cooperative movement. In the history of Maharashtra’s cooperative sector, the trio of Padma Shri Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil, Dhananjayrao Gadgil, and Vaikunthbhai Mehta laid the foundation of the cooperative movement in the state.

Shri Shah said that Padma Shri Vikhe Patil established what was in itself the world’s first cooperative sugar mill and this initiative ledto prosperity of farmers not only from Maharashtra but also in Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and several other states. He added that it was Padma Shri Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil who pioneered the system through which the profits of sugar mills went into farmers’ bank accounts instead of traders’ pockets.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that Dr. BalasahebVikhe Patil, the son of Padma Shri Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil, not only strengthened the cooperative movement but also pioneered a new tradition of using cooperative profits for education, health, and rural progress through the Cooperative Institute. He noted that in his life spanning over eight decades, Dr. BalasahebVikhe Patil was elected to Parliament seven times and also served in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government.

Shri Shah said that thanks to his initiative, the Reserve Bank of India provided a revival package to Madhavpura Mercantile Cooperative Bank, which helped save 225 cooperative banks in Gujarat. He added that both these eminent personalities made immense contributions to the fields of cooperation, rural development, and farmers’ welfare.

Shri Amit Shah said that today, the Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Mill has also been renovated. He noted that when the mill was established in 1950–51, its processing capacity was 500 tonnes of sugarcane per day, which has now increased to 7200 tonnes per day. In the coming years, its processing capacity will rise from 7200 tonnes to 15000 tonnes of sugarcane per day.He said that when Prime Minister Modi established the Ministry of Cooperation, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) introduced a scheme to strengthen cooperative sugar mills. Under this scheme, financial support was provided to well-performing units, among which the Dr. VithalraoVikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Mill is now being expanded.

Shri Shah mentioned that the alcohol distillation plant of this sugar mill has increased its capacity from 15 kilolitres per day to 92 kilolitres per day (KLPD), and approval has been granted to further expand it to 240 kilolitres per day. Similarly, the ethanol plant’s capacity has grown from 20 kilolitres per day (KLPD), to 150 kilolitres per day (KLPD),, the biogas plant’s capacity has increased from 12,000 cubic meters per day to 30,000 cubic meters per day, and the cogeneration plant’s capacity has risen from 30 megawatts to 68 megawatts.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the number of sugar mills in the country has increased by 67, and sugar production has risen by 1 million metric tonnes. He added that the number of distilleries has doubled, ethanol production capacity has increased fivefold, and its supply has grown tenfold. Furthermore, ethanol blending in petrol has now reached 20 percent. He said that this clearly shows cooperative sugar mills have been immensely benefited since Shri Narendra Modi took-over as Prime Minister. He further stated that one of the major decisions of the Modi government was waiving over ₹10,000 crore of income tax dues for farmers.He said that Modi Ji gave the cooperative sector the same status as corporations in case of tax settlements.

Shri Shah said that for the first time, the Modi government enacted a Settlement Act to regularize cooperatives — and that too with retrospective effect. Union Minister of Cooperation added that this initiative will now relieve cooperative sugar mills from an annual financial burden of ₹4,400 crore.

Shri Amit Shah, addressing cooperative sugar mills, appealed to convert their ethanol plants into multi-feed ethanol units and to set up systems to produce ethanol from vegetable waste, maize, and rice. He said that the necessary financial assistance for this will be provided by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). He added that all cooperatives have been given priority in ethanol procurement. Similarly, the Modi government has provided ₹10,000 crore under NCDC’s loan scheme and reduced GST on molasses from 28 percent to 5 percent.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that recently, Prime Minister Modi reduced GST on 395 items, including making GST zero on almost all food products, which has benefited the people of the country, especially mothers and sisters. He stated that Prime Minister Modi has appealed to all citizens to take a pledge this Diwali that no foreign-made products will enter our homes. Shri Shah said that if all 140 crore Indians take this pledge to use only products made in India, then India will reach the top position in the world even before 2047. He added that people from all over the world will have to come to India for production, because India itself has a market of 140 crore consumers.

Shri Amit Shah said that cooperative sugar mills should continue producing multi-feed ethanol even during the non-crushing season and should also expand into producing frozen vegetables, fruits, juices, fruit pulp, and similar products. He added that by entering into agreements with NAFED and NCCF, cooperative sugar mills need to become multi-dimensional.

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