Question : SUGAR MILLS

(a) whether some sugar mills are being run by the Ministry of Textiles;

(b) if so, the number of such mills established in the country, State-wise;

(c) whether the some closed sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh are being run by the Ministry of Textiles, if so, the details thereof and the time by which these sugar mills are likely to be started;

(d) whether the Government is planning to hand over the said sugar mills to any private companies/departments; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

(MINISTER OF TEXTILES)(SHRI ANAND SHARMA)

(a) & (b): No Madam , no sugar mill is being run by the Ministry of Textiles.

(c): Though no sugar mill is being run by the Ministry of Textiles, one closed sugar mill namely Ganesh Sugar Mill (GSM), a unit of the erstwhile Swadeshi Mining and Manufacturing Company Ltd. (SMMC) is under the control of National Textile Corporation, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Textiles, through an order of the Supreme Court in 1989. Ganesh Sugar Mill has been lying closed since 1994. SMMC, the company owning GSM, was referred to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) in 1994 and was ordered to be wound up in 1996. However, the High Court of Allahabad granted a stay against the winding up order, and NTC has stated before the High Court that it is neither feasible nor prudent for NTC to run the sugar mill since NTCs expertise lies in textiles and not in sugar.

(d) & (e): The matter is sub-judice and Govt. has not taken any decision to revive/ reopen the Ganesh Sugar Mill.