The Uttar Pradesh government will take stern action against sugar factories that flout green norms and are spreading pollution, the state sugarcane development minister Suresh Rana warned on Tuesday.
"The government will deal sternly with sugar mills flouting NGT (National Green Tribunal) norms and those spreading pollution," Rana told reporters here.
The minister also said that out of the 116 sugar mills, 56 have cleared all dues while there were no dues in case of 25 mills.
Rana further said, "It is for the first time in the history of the country that Rs 6,000 crore worth payments have been made to farmers in one month by the sugar mills.
"With this, the mills have made payments totalling Rs 21,650 crore to farmers so far, which is a record."
The minister said that farmers' confidence has gone up ever since BJP came to power in the state as a result of which the area under sugarcane cultivation increased by 2 lakh hectare.