Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today announced that production at the revived National Heavy Engineering Cooperative Limited at Pune in Maharashtra, is expected to begin before December 2027. He said the facility will manufacture machinery for sugar factories, dairy equipment, and machinery required for ethanol and Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) projects. The initiative is expected to reduce dependence on imports, promote indigenous manufacturing, generate employment and boost exports.
Mr Shah was speaking after laying the foundation stone of the National Heavy Engineering Cooperative Limited, inaugurating the Regional Office of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and launching the Bharat Taxi service in Pune He said the cooperative institution, spread over 110 acres, had earlier supplied machinery to sugar factories in India and several other countries. Following its closure, the Union Cooperation Ministry took the initiative to revive the institution with investments from the National Dairy Development Board, Amul, IFFCO, NCDC, NAFED and other cooperative organisations.
The revived facility will manufacture equipment for the sugar, dairy, power generation, ethanol and CBG sectors. Plans are also underway to manufacture equipment for the railway and defence sectors, besides containers for exports. Mr Shah said the project will promote a circular economy by ensuring the optimum utilisation of resources generated through sugar production and creating additional income opportunities for farmers.
Speaking about Bharat Taxi, Mr Shah said it was a cooperative initiative owned by drivers, aimed at protecting them from exploitation by private taxi aggregators. He said the entire fare amount would be transferred directly to drivers’ bank accounts without any commission deductions. The service has been launched in Mumbai, Nashik and Pune and will be expanded to other cities across the country.
Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol described the revival of the engineering cooperative, inauguration of the regional office and expansion of Bharat Taxi as significant milestones for the cooperative sector. He also highlighted the computerisation of 80,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies across the country.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the revival of the institution, which had remained closed for nearly 11 years, was a matter of pride for the state. He expressed confidence that the project would generate thousands of employment opportunities and strengthen the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Mr Shah also planted a sapling under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative.
