Bihar govt intends to boost jaggery production

• State govt is planning a 'Bihar State Jaggery Production Incentive Scheme' to promote jaggery and unrefined sugar-related industries in the state
• MLC Sarvesh highlighted the importance of sugarcane as a commercial crop and industries related to jaggery, paper, ethanol and molasses depend on it
• BJP MLC Dillip Jaiswal raised the issue of delay in giving grants to unaided colleges

To promote jaggery and unrefined sugar-related industries in the state and help sugarcane farmers, the state government is planning a 'Bihar State Jaggery Production Incentive Scheme' and will include it in the Fourth Agriculture Plan, Sugarcane Industry Minister Alok Mehta said in response to a question that raised by MLC Sarvesh Kumar in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.

Sarvesh pointed out that despite the vast consumption of jaggery in the state, the production was negligible and it was procured from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. He highlighted the importance of sugarcane as a commercial crop and industries related to jaggery, paper, ethanol and molasses depend on it.

BJP MLC Dillip Jaiswal raised the issue of delay in giving grants to unaided colleges. Jaiswal said this led to an increase in dropouts as inadequate infrastructure and delays in teacher payments impacted the quality of education. He said the grant for 2014-15 was released by the government recently and several teachers had to bear the brunt.