महाराष्ट्रात पहिला सहकारी साखर कारखाना १९५० मध्ये कोणत्या ठिकाणी सुरू करण्यात आला?

The correct answer is Option A (Loni, Pravaranagar).

Key Points:
• Asia's First Cooperative Sugar Factory (Loni, Pravaranagar - 1950): Maharashtra's—and Asia's—first successful cooperative sugar factory was established at Loni (Pravaranagar) in Ahmednagar (now Ahilyanagar) district, commencing its first sugarcane crushing season in December 1950 (after registration in 1948).
• Founding Architects: The pioneering venture (originally registered as the *Bagaitdar Co-operative Sugar Producers' Society*) was spearheaded by peasant leader Padmashri Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil with the intellectual and institutional guidance of renowned economist Dr. Dhananjayrao Gadgil (who served as its first Chairman).
• Socio-Economic Impact: By enabling small and medium sugarcane growers to collectively own the processing mill, Pravaranagar eliminated middlemen exploitation and catalyzed the rural cooperative agro-industrial revolution across Western Maharashtra.
• Distractor Analysis: While Kolhapur, Sangli, and Baramati subsequently emerged as major cooperative sugar belts in the 1950s and 1960s, Loni (Pravaranagar) holds the historic distinction of being the first in 1950.
• Key Takeaway: The first cooperative sugar factory in Maharashtra was established in 1950 at Loni, Pravaranagar under Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil and Dr. Dhananjayrao Gadgil.