Chandigarh, June 2 -- The Punjab government has cleared all outstanding dues for sugarcane farmers across the state's nine cooperative sugar mills for the 2025-26 crushing season. According to an official release on Monday, these state-run mills procured a record 167.20 lakh quintals of sugarcane and released full payments worth Rs.695.36 crore directly to the growers. This timely financial clearance aligns with the Bhagwant Mann government's policy of prioritising prompt agricultural payouts to provide immediate relief to growers, the release said, adding that sugarcane farmers across the region have welcomed the state government's swift action in ensuring final payments without seasonal delays. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) vice president Mukesh Chander Sharma, who cultivated cane over 90 acres in the outgoing season, said though the government cleared the full payment for the produce lifted by the cooperative mills, nearly Rs.100 crore is yet to be paid by the government to the six private mills for the Rs.68.50-per-quintal subsidy against a state advised price of Rs.416. HTC...