A delegation, headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the demand for increase in minimum support price for cotton soon.
A delegation, headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the demand for increase in minimum support price for cotton soon. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told this to reporters here today.
The delegation, comprising ministers and elected representatives from cotton-growing areas are likely to meet the Prime Minister tomorrow or after November 20, when he returns from a foreign tour, Pawar said.
Cotton-growers from Maharashtra met the Chavan today to discuss issues pertaining to cotton. Apart from demand for increase in the support price for cotton, clarity over export policy would also be sought, he said adding that similarly, increase in price of paddy and soyabean will also be demanded.
Speaking about sugar, Pawar said, the state wants the 10 per cent levy on sugar to be abolished. "If there is no levy on wheat and rice, why should it be on sugar?," he asked. The state government also wants the ban on export of sugar to be lifted.
Similarly, permission should be given to increase the percentage of ethanol on petrol from 5 per cent to ten per cent. "Petrol prices are Rs 75 per litre and this should be reduced, whereas, ethanol prices are Rs 27 per litre, which should be increased to Rs 55 per litre," he said.
Earlier, Pawar attended the state parliamentary board meeting of the NCP to discuss the strategy for the 196 municipal council elections to be held on December 8.
Discussions regarding the local bodies polls in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions took place in today's meeting, Pawar said.
"Tomorrow, we will discuss about western Maharashtra, Konkan and north Maharashtra regions. At today's meeting, party leaders from Gondia, Bhandara and Nagpur were not present since the minister in-charge Anil Deshmukh was taking a review of the political situation in these districts," he said.
Pawar said, district units and ministers in-charge have been authorised to take decisions regarding the alliances and selection of candidates.
He said his party has not given an "ultimatum" of 15 days to the Congress to take a decision on alliance in Mumbai civic polls. "We said, decision whether or not to have an alliance should be taken at the earliest,"he said.
Speaking about the entry of veteran Congressman from Yavatmal Uttamrao Patil into NCP, Pawar said, he was a senior leader, who had the capacity to get candidates elected and to defeat them as well.
When asked about the impact of Sena-BJP and RPI alliance in Mumbai, Pawar said , "It would depend upon the performance of this alliance in next month's municipal council polls. If the opposition does well, then RPI would get its way in terms of number of seats in Mumbai."
Meanwhile, the state parliamentary board of the state Congress also held a meeting at Tilak Bhavan, the party headquarters in Mumbai.
Sources said there were preliminary discussions on the strategy for the municipal council polls. Congress has also authorised local units to take decisions on alliances and selection of candidates.
Congress leaders from cotton-growing region also held a meeting here today, presided by the state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre over poll issues.
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