The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar season, said an official statement today. The CCEA also approved to provide a premium of Rs 2.75 per qtl for every 0.1% increase above 10% in the recovery. 

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The approval will ensure a guaranteed price to cane growers. The ‘FRP’ of sugarcane is determined under Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966. This will be uniformly applicable all over the country. Determination of FRP will be in the interest of sugarcane growers keeping in view their entitlement to a fair and remunerative price for their produce, said the statement.

Notably, the FRP is based on the recommendation of the Commission of Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) as per its report of August 2018 on the price policy for sugarcane for the 2019-20 season. The CACP has recommended the same price for the 2019-20 sugar season as it was for the sugar season 2018-19.

Creation of buffer stock of sugar 

The CCEA also approved the creation of buffer stock of 40 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of sugar for one year and to incur estimated maximum expenditure of Rs 1674 crores for this purpose. However, based on the market price and availability of sugar, this may be reviewed by the Deptt. of Food and Public Distribution any time for withdrawal / modification, said the official statement.
 
The reimbursement under the scheme would be met on quarterly basis to sugar mills which would be directly credited into farmers’ account on behalf of mills against cane price dues and subsequent balance, if any, would be credited to the mill’s account.

The decisions will lead to improvement in the liquidity of sugar mills; reduction in sugar inventories; stabilization in sugar prices by alleviating of price sentiments in domestic sugar market and thereby facilitate timely clearance of cane price dues of farmers; and benefits for sugar mills in all sugarcane producing States, by way of clearing sugarcane price arrears of sugar mills.

 
Merger of NIMH with ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health approved

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved to dissolve National Institute of Miners' Health (NIMH), an autonomous Institute under Ministry of Mines (MoM) and merge / amalgamate with ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) with all assets and liabilities; and absorb all the employees of NIMH in NIOH in the similar post/pay scale as the case may be and their pay be protected, said a government statement. 

NIMH, ICMR, NIOH, MoM and Department of Health Research (DHR), MoH&FW to take actions required for effecting dissolution and merger/amalgamation of NIMH with NIOH, said the statement, adding that the merger / amalgamation of NIMH with NIOH will prove beneficial to both the Institutes in term of enhanced expertise in the field of occupational health besides the efficient management of public money.