Adityanath took over the reins of the state in March 2017.(Express File)
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that sugarcane mills in the state have paid “a record” Rs 1,00,000 crore to farmers for their produce in the past three years of his government.
The Chief Minister said this during a direct benefit transfer programme at his official residence in which about Rs 418 crore was transferred to the cane farmers.
Adityanath said that Rs 1 lakh crore payment to came farmers was Rs 46,633 crore more than the combined procured price of sugarcane of Rs 53,367 crore in the three previous years from 2014 to 2017, referring to the period when the Samajwadi Party government led by Akhilesh Yadav was in power.
Adityanath took over the reins of the state in March 2017. “The last three years and three months have been a golden period in the history of the sugarcane industry in the state when such a huge amount has been paid directly to the farmer’s account through DBT. No previous government had paid such an amount in five years,” Adityanath said.
Official sources said about Rs 35,000 crore was due each year as payment to cane farmers, out of which about 1,00,325 crore has been paid till Friday, and now about Rs 15,000 crore dues remain.
The government compared the figures with the previous five years of Samajwadi Party rule, claiming that “only Rs 95,215 crore was paid to cane farmers during five years of SP government from 2012 to 2017, while in the present government, Rs 1 lakh crore mark was paid in just three years”.
“The remaining Rs 15,000 crore would be paid soon to cane farmers, but crossing Rs 1 lakh crore mark in three years is a record in itself,” said a senior officer.
According to the government, there are 48 lakh sugarcane farmers in the state with 25,000-40,000 farmers and about 8000-10,000 employees are associated with each sugar mill in the state.
Sugarcane Minister Suresh Rana said the government’s top priority is to ensure farmers get sugarcane price payments and are determined to promote their economic interests combined with their all-round development.
Meanwhile speaking at the event, the Chief Minister alleged that during previous governments, sugar mills were closed. Citing example of three sugar mills in Gorakhpur, the Chief Minister said that all the three were closed during previous regimes. However, during the present regime a new sugar mill in Pipraich area of Gorakhpur was established.
He said that a record number of 119 sugar mills were operational during the March-May lockdown period, including all the units of khandsari, in the interest of the farmers.
Adityanath said that during initial phase of lockdown, there was shortage of sanitizers because of which high rates were charged for even small bottle of sanitizers, but soon after its manufacturing was started in Uttar Pradesh, not only sanitizer bottles were provided free to every government department, but was also supplied to other parts of the country at affordable rates.
Officials said that Uttar Pradesh is now supplying sanitizers to 28 other states and exporting to other countries too with sugar mills and distilleries in the state having achieved the capacity to manufacture 5 lakh litres of sanitizer on a daily basis.