Maha govt invites Ramdev to set up unit on land reserved for

The BJP-led Maharashtra government has invited Yoga guru Ramdev, the promoter of Patanjali group, to set up a unit on an unused chunk of land in Latur district, originally reserved for a BHEL plant, for which a stamp duty waiver is being offered, according to sources. It is likely that a soybean processing unit might come up on the said plot, an official said Monday.

In a letter dated June 26, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis invited the spiritual leader to set up a MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise) unit in Ausa village in the district in Marathwada region. "For a MSME project, you can avail 100 per cent waiver of stamp duty followed by relief in electricity duty for a certain period. The electricity charges will also have Rs one per unit relaxation along with refund in GST as per the state policy," stated the letter.

Sources close to the development confirmed that some 400-acre land which had been reserved for a BHEL plant in the district is now going to be handed over to Patanjali Products. Former chief minister and Congress leader late Vilasrao Deshmukh, who also held Heavy Industries portfolio in Centre, had reserved the land in Ausa tehsil for the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) almost a decade ago. However, the plant never came up.

"Though it is not yet decided what kind of plant Patanjali may set up in Ausa, but most anticipated unit could be a soybean processing as Latur is a major market of the agriculture commodity for trading, and there are already two major processing units in the same district. It is possible that Patanjali may come up with a similar plant," according to the official. In the latest joint public appearance, Fadnavis had shared stage with Ramdev on June 21 in Nanded to mark International Yoga Day..

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