The Maharashtra Assembly winter session, which began on December 7 in Nagpur, concluded on Wednesday. The assembly cleared 17 bills during the session, reported the PTI.

The next session of the legislature will be held in Mumbai from February 26, said assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, as per the PTI.

During the two-week-long winter session, the assembly worked for 110 hours, with a daily average of 10.05 hours, he said.

The assembly received 7,581 questions, of which 247 were accepted. As many as 34 questions were answered, Narwekar said.

The assembly also cleared 17 bills during the session, he said.

The 288-member lower house recorded a maximum attendance of 93 per cent, while 64.71 per cent was the minimum attendance. The average attendance during the winter session stood at 81.69 per cent, he said, as per the PTI.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for milk producers which will be implemented for the next two months, reported the PTI.

According to the news agency, the state animal husbandry and dairy development minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil made this announcement in the legislative assembly.

The government has decided to give a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre to milk producers who supply it to cooperative dairies. This decision will remain effective for the first two months of the next year, he said.

“Once (the amount calculated on) Rs 29 per litre milk price is deposited in the bank accounts of milk producers, the government will transfer the subsidy amount to the same accounts,” the minister added, as per the PTI.

Currently, dairies procure milk at Rs 29 per litre.

The Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday passed the Maharashtra Bovine Breeding Regulation Bill, 2023 which seeks to regulate the breeding of bovine species including cows, reported the PTI.

According to the news agency, the `Maharashtra Go Jatiya Prajanan Bill` was presented by Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in the upper house.

It provides for stringent quality control measures for the semen used in artificial insemination, regulation of insemination practices and the creation of the Maharashtra Go Rajya Prajnan Niyaman Pradhikaran (Bovine Breeding Regulation Authority), a dedicated body for overseeing and enforcing quality control, the minister said, as per the PTI.

The bill also promotes technological advancements such as the use of sex-sorted semen at a subsidized rate and aims to address the shortage of qualified veterinarians by establishing private veterinary universities, said Vikhe Patil.

The legislation has the potential to rejuvenate the dairy industry in Maharashtra and seeks to make the state a leader in sustainable and high-yield milk production, he said.

(with PTI inputs)

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