Q.India's first co-operative sugar factory was:
(A) Warana Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana
(B) Pravara Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana at Pravaranagar
(C) Mahanand Dairy
(D) Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana

Maharashtra pioneered the co-operative sugar movement, and one factory is universally recognised as the first of its kind in India.

It became the model for hundreds of co-operative sugar factories across western Maharashtra.

Why (B) is correct: Pravara Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd, at Pravaranagar in Ahmednagar district, was India's first co-operative sugar factory. It was established under the leadership of Padmashri Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil, guided by the economist Dhananjayrao Gadgil, and began crushing sugarcane in 1950. Its success inspired the spread of co-operative sugar factories throughout Maharashtra.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• (A) and (D) name other well-known Maharashtra co-operative sugar factories, but neither was the first.
• (C) Mahanand is a co-operative dairy brand, not a sugar factory at all.

It is easy to mix up the several famous Maharashtra sugar co-operatives. Remember Pravara (Pravaranagar) specifically as the FIRST, and associate it with Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil and the year 1950.