India's dairy sector grows 70 pc in past 11 years: Amit Shah
Rohtak (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India has made significant strides in the dairy sector over the past 11 years, noting that it has grown by 70 per cent during this period and is now the fastest-growing sector in the world.
He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's dairy sector has expanded by 70 per cent in terms of capacity.
In the world, India's dairy sector is the fastest-growing, Shah said after inaugurating the newly constructed Sabar Dairy Plant facility in Industrial Model Township here as part of efforts to promote the cooperative sector.
Built for Rs 325 crore, the plant will house state-of-the-art machinery and is expected to generate direct and indirect employment.
The newly inaugurated Sabar Dairy plant here is the country's largest production facility for curd, buttermilk, and yogurt, with a daily capacity of 150 metric tonnes of curd, 3 lakh litres of buttermilk, 10 lakh litres of yogurt, and 10 metric tonnes of sweets.
Gujarat-headquartered Sabarkantha District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union is known as Sabar Dairy.
Shah, who also holds the cooperation portfolio, said that over the past four years, this ministry, in collaboration with all state governments, has worked to lay a strong foundation of cooperatives.
"I want to assure you that by 2029, not even one Panchayat will be there in the country, which will not have a cooperative society," Shah said.
He said the milk production has increased from 146 million tonnes in 2014-2015 from 146 million tonnes to 239 million tonnes in 2023-24.
As many as eight crore farmers are connected with the dairy sector, and the per capita milk availability, which was earlier 124 grams, is now 471 grams, he added.
During the last 11 years, a lot of changes have taken place in the dairy sector because of which farmers have become prosperous, he further said, adding that India has emerged as the top milk producer in the world.
Shah also mentioned the White Revolution 2.0 initiative.
He stated that our current milk processing capacity is 660 lakh litres per day, and our target is to increase this to 100 million litres by 2028-29.
There is an increase in the milk procurement under the cooperative sector, and its profit goes directly to our farmer mothers and sisters engaged in the dairy sector, he noted.
In the last one year, around 33,000 cooperatives have been registered, he further said.
The milk of the indigenous cattle breed, which is beneficial for health, increased from 39 million tonne to 50 MT, he said.
"In the past 11 years, many changes have taken place in the dairy sector, and because of which, our farmers have been empowered," Shah added.
We will also develop a system so that the country has the world's most modern plants in India, the minister said.
About Sabar Dairy's new plant here, Shah said it will meet the needs of the entire National Capital Region and Northern states.
Sabar Dairy serves farmers of Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
In Haryana, it will reach everywhere, which will increase the income of farmers, he further said.
Shah also said that in terms of per capita milk availability, Haryana consistently ranks between first and third place every year.
Shah stated that Sabar Dairy, which began in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, has created vast opportunities for milk producers across nine states.
Through cooperative dairy, 35 lakh women in Gujarat are doing business of Rs 85,000 crore, the minister said.
Meanwhile, Shah said, under the White Revolution 2.0, over 75,000 dairy cooperatives will be set up in the country.
Besides, 46,000 cooperative societies will be strengthened, he added.
Shah also informed about the government's decision to establish three new multi-state cooperative societies for the dairy sector.
The first society will focus on 'animal feed production, disease control and artificial insemination', the second will promote 'developing cow dung management models' and the third will promote 'circular use of dead cattle remains'.
The government brought the National Gokul mission, ran the national artificial insemination programme and set up the animal husbandry infrastructure development fund, he said.
"We will also develop a system so that the country has the world's most modern plants in India, and there is work on research and development."
He also mentioned the launching and modernising of various dairy and cooperative projects associated with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
The minister said that under Amul's leadership, extensive scientific work has been carried out in Gujarat on modern breeding technologies, such as embryo transfer and sex-determination.
These technologies should also be made available to livestock farmers in Haryana.
Along with this, there is a need to promote beekeeping and organic farming in the state.
He also mentioned that several successful experiments on biogas have been carried out in Gujarat, and such initiatives should also be implemented in Haryana.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Gujarat Vidhan Sabha Speaker Shankarbhai Chaudhary, Union Ministers of State Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal, Gujarat Minister Bhikhusinh Parmar, Chairman, Sabar Dairy, Shamalbhai B Patel, Amul chairman Ashok Chaudhary and Haryana Minister Arvind Sharma, Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli were among others present at the event.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
J-K: Six held with drugs, assets worth Rs 73 lakh attached in Udhampur
Jammu (PTI): Six persons were taken into custody during an intensified anti-narcotics crackdown, with police recovering contraband substances and over Rs 23 lakh in Doda and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Monday.
In a parallel action, properties worth over Rs 73 lakh linked to drug peddlers were also attached in Udhampur district under relevant legal provisions, the police said.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Doda, Mohd Aslam said three persons, including a woman, were detained during a raid on a house at Dak Mohalla in the main town following recovery of 85 grams of suspected brown sugar and over Rs 23 lakh on Sunday evening.
He identified the woman as Zareena Begum, stating that she had been under police surveillance following inputs indicating her involvement in drug peddling.
Besides Zareena, officials said her daughter and son-in-law were also picked up by police during the raid.
“We have taken three individuals into custody. Their roles are being examined, and based on that, arrests will be made. We are continuing raids at other suspected locations,” Aslam said.
Three drug peddlers --Pardeep Singh of Hiranagar, Rahees Butt of Billawar and Ali Sen of Amritsar (Punjab) -- were arrested along with heroin at different places in Kathua district, a police spokesman said.
He said while 2.79 gm of heroin was seized from Singh, 2.66 gm were recovered Butt. Similarly, 303 gm of heroin was seized from Sen who was intercepted near Berrian-Pattan village while moving in a private car from Bhagthali to Maggar Khad on the Jammu-Pathankot highway.
All the three were booked under the NDPS Act and further investigations are on, the spokesman said.
In Udhampur, the spokesman said properties worth Rs 73 lakh were attached in two separate cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The attached properties included a newly constructed residential house, a car, a motorcycle and a mobile phone with a total value of Rs 65 Lakh, belonging to accused Saif Ali who was booked under the NDPS case in Majalta area early this year, he said.
In another action, movable property worth Rs 8 lakh comprising a car, belonging to accused Danish Butt of Doda has been attached under Section 68(F) NDPS Act in connection with an FIR registered at Rehambal police station, the spokesman said.
