The Hindu : Cabinet nod for tax incentive to sugar factories

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 11, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Cabinet nod for tax incentive to sugar factories

By Our Special Correspondent

Hyderabad Dec. 10. Giving boost to the sinking morale of farmers in the face of drought, the Cabinet, at its scheduled meeting here this morning, gave the green signal for exempting sugar factories from paying the "purchase tax incentive'' to the Government and for passing the same onto growers.

Accordingly, growers will get a benefit of Rs. 60 per tonne crushed, that being the purchase tax. Such exemption has hitherto been allowed only to the tune of Rs. 20 per tonne.

The Cabinet also decided to forgo the entire purchase tax of Rs 22 per tonne payable by the khandasari units, allowing the benefit in its totality to farmers. The loss suffered by the Government on both counts is Rs. 42.88 crores.

The Cabinet approved essentiality certificates to four medical and four dental colleges.

According to the Information and Public Relations Minister, S. Chandramohan Reddy, who briefed the press, the four medical colleges would be set up by the Medicare Educational Society (Warangal), the Mother Theresa Educational Society (Amalapuram), the NRI Academy of Sciences (Guntur), and the CSI Arogyavaram Medical Centre (Chittoor). The dental colleges would be promoted by Vignan Educational Development Society (Ongole), People's Educational Society (Kuppam), Kamineni Educational Society (L.B. Nagar) and Share Medicare Care (Ghanpur, Ranga Reddy district).

The Minister said the approval for issuing the ECs was given based on the recommendations made by the Justice Y. Bhaskara Rao and Justice S. V. Maruti committees. It was also decided to allow enhancement of seats in the medical college of Siddhartha Academy of General and Technical Education, Vijayawada, from 100 to 150, creation of certain teaching posts in Government Medical College, Anantapur, with a financial commitment of Rs 56.92 lakhs per annum; creation of posts of Joint Comissioner (Family Welfare) and Special Officer (Immunisation) for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation payment of pension to the AP Yogadhyayana Parishad staff from the Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy Department.

The Information Minister said the Cabinet had accepted the recommendations of the Cabinet sub-committee on regularisation of encroachments in Gajuwaka Municipality. Accordingly, regularisation would be done free of cost for those below the poverty line occupying an extent of 100 sq yards for housing.

It was decided to collect 100 per cent "basic value'' of 2002 for all transactions prior to January 1998. If the land encroached was used for commercial purpose abutting national highway, collection would be made at "basic value'' as prevailing in 1998. For institutions, regularisation would be at 25 per cent of the "basic value'' of 1998.

The other major decisions were continuance of the "Apathbandhu'' scheme for another year from October 2, 2002, Government guarantee for Rs. 1,356.7 crores being taken as loan by AP Transco for its developmental works, for Rs. 4,617.55 crores against the bonds to be issued by AP Genco towards pension of retired staff and towards provident fund trusts of AP Transco/AP Genco/ discoms, and for Rs 191.6 crores being obtained by AP Genco for various works of power stations at Vijayawada, Srisailam, Kothagudem and Nellore.

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