New Delhi, July 18: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved a Rs 20 per quintal increase in the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane to Rs 275 for the 2018-19 season starting October.

"The cost of sugar production is estimated to be only Rs 155 per quintal against which we have decided to give FRP of Rs 275 per quintal. This is 77.42 per cent higher than the cost of production," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here after the cabinet meeting.

The FRP is the minimum price legally guaranteed to farmers for sugarcane.

As per the estimates issued by industry body Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), total sugar production in season 2018-19 starting October is expected to be 35-35.5 million tonnes.

Prasad said that the total remuneration for sugarcane to farmers for the year 2018-19 is estimated to be Rs 83,000 crore.

 



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Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.

Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.

After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.

"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.

Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.

"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.