New Delhi, May 08: The Lok Sabha today passed a bill enabling the Central government to issue orders or directions to safeguard the interest of sugarcane growers, producers of sugar and the general public amid walkout by Samajwadi Party and RJD members. The Essential Commodities (amendment) Bill, 2003, already passed by Rajya Sabha, has thus got Parliamentary approval.

The bill seeks to streamline the policy regarding levy sugar and also to remove controls on it, which had led to some people moving the court. Replying to a debate on the bill, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Sharad Yadav said even though sugar production had been high, it was felt that a legislation was essential since control mechanism on levy sugar had been removed.

Admitting that huge buffer stocks had led to problems for sugarcane growers, he said a central committee had been set up to monitor day to day problems faced by them. Yadav said the sugarcane sector was facing problems due to globalisation and for this purpose the government has sanctioned about Rs 100 crore for modernisation of sugarcane industry.

The SP and RJD members walked out protesting government's "failure" to improve the lot of sugarcane farmers. Bureau Report