Chandigarh, February 8

The Punjab government is planning to revive and upgrade the loss-making sugar mills in the state by implementing a consultative report being drafted by a expert committee.

Additional Chief Secretary, Cooperation, DP Reddy said on the direction of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, the Cooperation Department would draft a plan to rejuvenate the running cooperative sugar mills in the state.

While presiding over a meeting of the committee of experts constituted by the state government here today, he said in order to safeguard the interests of sugarcane growers, the state government had decided to implement a plan for the upgrade and setting up of distilleries for production of ethanol and co-generation etc for the revival of the loss-making cooperative sugar mills.

He said the committee had earlier discussed various issues regarding problems faced by the sugar mills in the state in January. In today’s meeting, various experts gave their valuable suggestions for making cooperative sugar mills self-sustainable in view of the prevailing situation of the sugar industry in the country.