<span style="color: #222222;">Department of Food and Public Distribution has issued guidelines for restructuring of Sugar Development Fund, SDF Loans to facilitate rehabilitation of financially weak but economically viable sugar mills which have availed loans under the Sugar Development Fund Act, 1982. The outstanding amount of default of SDF loans is around 3 thousand 68 crore rupees as on 30th of November last year. It includes around one thousand 249 crore rupees  as Principal amount, over one thousand crore rupees  as interest and  747 crore rupees  as additional interest due to default.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and  Public Distribution in a statement said that these guidelines are uniformly applicable for SDF loans availed by all types of concerns, including Co-operative Societies, Private Limited Companies and Public Limited Companies. It said, the Guidelines have provision for two years moratorium and then five years of repayment which is expected to provide big relief to financially weak sugar mills which have availed SDF loans. Waiver of additional interest in full will be given to the eligible sugar factories. The rate of interest will be changed to the interest rate as per the prevailing bank rate on the date of approval of the rehabilitation package.<br />'' <br />''A sugar factory that has been incurring cash losses continuously for the last 3 financial years or Sugar factory's net worth is negative, and the sugar factory is not closed/has not ceased to crush cane for more than 2 sugar seasons, excluding the current sugar season is eligible to apply for re-structuring.</span>