PREZ RETURNS BIHAR BILL TO PRODUCE ETHANOL
NEW DELHI: President Pranab Muherjee has started clearing all pending bills from state governments with a message to amend the proposed legislation for assent.
The last such Bill returned by the President recently was the Bihar Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Amendment Bill, passed by the Bihar Assembly in 2007.
The Union Food and Civil Supply Ministry headed by Ram Vilas Paswan had sent a note to the President’s secretariat that the provisions of the Bill was in contravention with the Sugar Control Order 2007 of the central government.
With a view to developing Bihar as an ethanol hub, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier urged the Union government to obtain Presidential assent to the Bihar Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Amendment Bill, 2007. The Bill would enable Bihar to produce ethanol directly from sugarcane. The Bill was forwarded to the centre in April 2008 and was still awaiting Presidential assent. Nitish Kumar had also sought relaxation on the amendment to the Sugar (Control) Order, which prevented exclusive production of ethanol by sugar mills.
Bihar Chief Minister’s demand came in response to UPA Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s statement in Parliament on Bihar’s earlier demand for promoting production of ethanol directly from sugarcane juice. In a letter to Pawar, Nitish Kumar had strongly urged that Bihar’s case deserved special consideration wanted to produce ethanol to meet export commitments”.
After the change of government at the centre, Bihar CM had once again urged the Union government to get an assent from the President.
Bihar Chief Minister said that since the centre had mandated to blend up to 10 per cent ethanol with motor spirit, the ethanol requirement would have to be very large.