Trust led by Sharad Pawar gets 51 hectares of land by the Maharashtra government at a nominal rate.

51 hectares of land in Jalna District have been allotted by the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government to the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), headed by the Sharad Pawar at nominal rates.

Originally, the Agriculture Department purchased 51.33 hectares of land for a state seed farm, in the village of Patharwala, Ambad taluka in Jalna. The cabinet-led by Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, allocated VSI land as a “special case.”

According to the official communication, the value of Rs 9.99 crore was estimated by state valuers.

VSI was founded in 1975 by the co-operative sugar factory sugarcane growers as the first research institution for sugarcane farming. It carries out industry-specific scientific, technological and educational functions.

Chairman of the Institute is Sharad Pawar, former President of Nationalist Congress Party and Union Agriculture Minister. The Board of Trustees comprises CM Deputy Ajit Pawar, Minister of State Excise Dilip Walse-Patil (NCP), State Finance Minister Jayant Patil (NCP), and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat (Congress). Ministers Rajesh Tope (NCP) and Satej Patil (Congress) are on its governing council.

The MVA sanctioned the allocation despite objections from the State Departments of Revenue and Finance, ignoring the opinion presented by the State Advocate General office and argued that the government’s discretion was to direct land allocation to public institutions and charitable, according to the report.

However, during the issuance of the final allotment letter, CM Thackeray asked the revenue department to set out certain terms and conditions to the institute. Sources said that the Law Department was asked to consult on conditions on which to insist.

In turn, Tope said PTI had made a decision to stimulate research in sugarcane agriculture for farmers and “will be a boon” to farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

Tope added that the land was allotted on condition that it is not being used for business purposes. VSI will supply the sugarcane seed to farmers and conduct research on breeds of various varieties of sugarcane.