The Centre on Tuesday said the state governments have been given powers to put owners of sugar mills behind bars if they failed to clear the sugarcane dues to the farmers.
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said in the Lok Sabha that the outstanding to farmers in 2017-18 stood at Rs 85,179 crore and it came down to Rs 303 crore by the end of the sugarcane season.
"In the current season, there was an outstanding of Rs 85,355 crore, of which Rs 67,706 crore has already been paid to the farmers. We have been trying to ensure that by the end of the year, most of the outstanding is cleared.
"If that does not happen, then the state governments have full power to take action against the mill owners and put them behind bars," Paswan said during the Question Hour.
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