DW BUREAU / Batala Punjab Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Friday inaugurated the 60th Crushing Season and urged farmers to adopt crops diversification to save ground water. During the function held at Cooperative Sugar Mill Batala, Mr. Dhaliwal said that the Punjab government is committed to provide all possible help to keep the cooperative sugar mills functioning. He urged the farmers to bring maximum area under sugarcane, maize, pulses, mustard cultivation to save ground water to further depletion. He also assured to implement the 6th pay commission for the employees of cooperative sugar mills. The Cabinet Minister said that ultra modern technology adopted at Cooperative Sugar Mill Batala to enhance the capacity of the mill 3500 TCD to 5000 TCD with construction of new plant, including a 14 MW power generation plant, which can be scaled up to 100 MW in later stage. The work is in full swing and is scheduled to be commissioned before March 2023. This plant will produce refined sugar expect power which will prove financially helpful to the mill as well as farmers. Apart from this, the work of setting up a bio-CNG plant is also underway. He also informed that the Punjab government is committed to provide all possible help to keep the cooperative sugar mills in running state, besides update the entire infrastructure. On this occasion, the Board of Directors, General Manager and all the farmers of the mill extended warm words of welcome towards the Cabinet Minister and Chairman Sugarfed Punjab and honored them. Mr. Dhaliwal and the Chairman were felicitated by the Workers Unions of Batala Cooperative Sugar Mill. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Chairman Sugarfed Navdeep Singh Sidhu and Chairman Punsup Balbir Singh Pannu handed over appointment letters on compassionate grounds to nine candidates. (editor@dailyworld.in)