PATNA: The Bihar cabinet in its meeting held on Tuesday took two major decisions, including approval to the much- awaited ethanol production promotion policy and authorising CM Nitish Kumar for recommending 12 people to the governor for being nominated to the legislative council under the latter’s quota.
A minister present in the meeting told TOI that following the resolution on recommendation for governor’s quota, CM Nitish said that two people to be nominated to the legislative council were sitting in the cabinet meeting.
“Building construction minister Ashok Choudhary and mines and geology minister Janak Ram are certain to be nominated for becoming members of the Upper House under governor’s quota as both of them are neither MLAs nor MLCs,” the minister said.
All together, 39 proposals from different departments of the state government were approved by the cabinet.
A senior official claimed that ethanol production promotion policy was one of the major decisions.
The policy has been floated by state industries department headed by minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.
“Sugarcane and maize will be the two inputs for ethanol production. While Bihar is rich in sugarcane cultivation, the state also has abundance of maize production. In fact, the production of maize is so much in Bihar that at times, the farmers struggle to get competitive prices,” an official said.
According to sources, several districts in Kosi and Seemanchal areas, including Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and Samastipur among others, contribute around 30% of total yield of maize in the country.
Both Nitish and Shahnawaz have held several review meetings on the policy over the past few weeks and hailed ethanol production in the state.
They have claimed that it will lure industries and investors, leading to employment generation as well as betterment of farmers involved in sugarcane and maize cultivation.
The state government has also been emphasising on production of fuel-grade ethanol as it would ensure 100% use of the ethanol for its mixing with petrol.
Government of India has been promoting Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme (blending of ethanol with motor sprit with a view to reducing pollution), wherein oil marketing companies sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10%.
Nitish has said on various occasions that Bihar government had sent a proposal to central government in 2007 for setting up ethanol production units in the state but the proposal was turned down by the UPA government back then.
He has expressed pleasure that the present central government has approved ethanol production.
CM Nitish, in a meeting held on February 25 to review the ethanol promotion policy, had said closed sugar mills can be re- opened and new ones will be opened with ethanol production.
Ethanol production policy apart, the resolution by the cabinet to authorise CM Nitish to recommend 12 names for filling the corresponding number of vacant seats in the upper House of the state legislature is also slated to end a long wait for the same.
As per constitutional provisions, the governor can nominate 12 out of total 75 seats in the legislative council.
Out of the 12 seats from governors’ quota, two fell vacant after former state minister Pashupati Kumar Paras of LJP and JD(U) functionary Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh resigned in May, 2019 following their election as members of teh Lok Sabha.
The remaining 10 seats fell vacant in May last year, after the 10 members nominated by the governor on May 24, 2014 completed their six year term.