Govt approves fair and remunerative price of 315 rupees per quintal for sugarcane farmers for season 2023-24

New Delhi, June 28

The government has approved the fair and remunerative price of 315 rupees per quintal for sugarcane farmers for the season 2023-24. The move will benefit five crore sugarcane farmers and their dependents, as well as five lakh workers employed in the sugar mills and related ancillary activities.

A decision in this regard was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting in New Delhi today.  Briefing media in New Delhi about the Union Cabinet decisions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, it is the highest ever fair and remunerative price for sugarcane farmers.

The government has also decided to bring the National Research Foundation(NRF) Bill, 2023 to strengthen the research ecosystem in the country. The Bill approved by the Union Cabinet will pave the way to establish NRF to seed, grow and promote research and development and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, and research institutions.

The Minister informed that the bill has a provision to establish NRF, an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country at a total estimated cost of  50 thousand crore rupees during the next five years.

The Bill will repeal the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established by an act of Parliament in 2008 and subsume it into NRF which has an expanded mandate and covers activities over and above the activities of SERB.

The NRF will forge collaborations among the industry, academia, and government departments and research institutions, and create an interface mechanism for participation and contribution of industries and state governments in addition to the scientific and line ministries.