The Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday approved an Rs 18 crore loan from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for a sugar factory linked to BJP MLA Abhimanyu Pawar, continuing a recent run of state approvals for financial assistance to cooperatives associated with leaders of the ruling Mahayuti. The loan is for Killari’s Shri Nilkantheshwar Sugar Factory and will be used for capital expenditure and working capital. Following the Cabinet approval, the proposal will be forwarded to the NCDC. The factory had approached the Commissioner of Sugar, Pune, seeking the loan. The Cabinet approved the proposal with a specific rider that it be treated as a special case.