Centre Withdraws Draft Sugarcane Control Order Following Widespread Opposition
The Indian government has officially withdrawn its controversial draft Sugarcane (Control) Order this week, bowing to intense pressure from farmers’ unions and small-scale khandsari manufacturers. The proposed legislation sought to overhaul the 60-year-old regulatory framework governing the sugar industry by expanding state oversight to include the ethanol production and khandsari (unrefined sugar) sectors. Background of…