15 December,2023 01:56 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Ajit Pawar/ X
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar informed that a planned meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, had been postponed. The scheduled evening meeting, which was to take place during the state legislature's ongoing winter session at Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, was deferred due to pressing commitments on Shah's part.
Addressing journalists, Pawar mentioned receiving a message from Shah citing unavoidable tasks, leading to the postponement of the meeting. Shah proposed rescheduling the interaction for Monday or Tuesday, with the Maharashtra delegation requesting time on Monday. "We have sought his time on Monday," Pawar said.
Pawar disclosed that the CM and deputy CMs deliberated on crucial matters like onion and ethanol during the recent cabinet meeting, intending to discuss these issues with the Union home minister.
"We were supposed to meet the Union home minister in this context," he said.
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Maharashtra farmers expressed discontent following the Centre's decision to halt onion exports until March 31, 2024, aiming to stabilize domestic prices. Additionally, restrictions on 'sugarcane juice and sugar syrup' usage for ethanol production in the 2023-24 supply year were imposed to manage sugar availability and pricing.
Apart from these topics, Pawar highlighted discussions on 24-25 other significant matters in the cabinet meeting.
Ajit Pawar had told the media on Monday that he had a meeting with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to talk about the Center's prohibition on using sugarcane juice or syrup to make ethanol. He then added that the issue needs to be addressed at the union level as well and that he will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah soon.
Ethanol is a clear liquid mixed with fuel to reduce reliance on imported crude oil.
Ajit Pawar had previously criticised the abrupt decision to ban ethanol production using sugarcane syrup. In discussions raised by Congress and Nationalist Congress Party leaders in the legislative assembly on December 8, Pawar highlighted that several sugar mills had heavily invested in ethanol plants with a significant proportion of borrowed funds.
With PTI inputs
