“Only Shivaji’s Followers Dare Rename Cities,” says Shah

GG News Bureau
Ahilyanagar, 5th Oct: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated the expanded facility of the Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Factory in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra. He also unveiled life-size statues of Padma Shri Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil and Padma Bhushan Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, pioneers of India’s cooperative movement.

Addressing the gathering, Shah praised the legacy of the Vikhe Patil family in transforming the cooperative sector. He recalled how Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil established the world’s first cooperative sugar mill, ensuring that profits directly benefited farmers instead of middlemen. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, he added, strengthened the movement further by channeling cooperative profits into education, health, and rural development.

Taking a sharp swipe, Shah said only the followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had the courage to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar, adding that the “followers of Aurangzeb” lacked such courage.

The Home Minister highlighted the Modi government’s efforts towards farmers’ welfare, noting that in FY 2025–26, the Centre allocated ₹3,132 crore to Maharashtra, of which ₹1,631 crore was released in April. The state government added ₹2,215 crore, benefiting over 31 lakh farmers, alongside a relief scheme of ₹10,000 cash and 35 kg food grains per farmer.

Shah also detailed the factory’s expansion — from its initial capacity of 500 tonnes per day in 1950–51 to 7,200 tonnes now, with plans to scale up to 15,000 tonnes. The ethanol plant has grown from 20 to 150 KLPD, with approval for 240 KLPD, while the biogas and cogeneration plants have also seen significant capacity boosts.

He urged cooperative sugar mills to become multi-dimensional by producing multi-feed ethanol, frozen vegetables, fruit pulp, and other products during non-crushing seasons. He stressed that cooperatives should seize new opportunities in ethanol production from maize, rice, and vegetable waste, with financial backing from the National Cooperative Development Corporation.

Shah underlined that under Prime Minister Modi, sugar production, ethanol blending, and the number of sugar mills have all increased significantly. He also cited the landmark Settlement Act, which has reduced the annual financial burden of cooperatives by ₹4,400 crore.

Concluding, Shah called on citizens to support Prime Minister Modi’s appeal to use only Indian-made products this Diwali. “If 140 crore Indians pledge to avoid foreign-made goods, India will become the world’s top economy even before 2047,” he declared.