Maharashtra Govt to sell 29 sick sugar factories: Minister

Latur (Maha), Jan 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Government isconsidering selling 29 sick sugar factories, Cooperation andParliamentary Minister Harshawardhan Patil said today.

He said 100 state-run sugar factories are functioningsmoothly, but the government had no option but to considerselling 29 sick units.

Speaking at a function here in central Maharashtra,Patil hinted at drastic changes in the cooperative sector.

The cooperative sector, governed by a 1960-enactedlaw, would be categorised. Separate laws for housing,factories, processing units and banks would be considered, theMinister said.

The cooperative sector had played a key role inMaharashtra''s development, but corruption has now badlyaffected the segment, Patil said.

He asked the sugar lobby to take urgent steps to makethe sector corruption-free.