Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday inaugurated an upgraded milk-processing plant worth Rs 25.67 crore at Duttnagar in Rampur assembly constituency, which boosts local dairy capacity, brings transparency to milk procurement, and promises economic benefits for 20,000 farmers across four districts. The upgrade adds 50,000 litres to the unit’s daily milk production capacity, taking it to 70,000 l.
The upgraded facility will produce flavoured milk, khoya, ghee, butter, paneer, lassi, and curd, benefiting dairy farmers from Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, and Kinnaur districts. The 20,000-odd farmers who stand to gain from this initiative are affiliated with 271 milk co-operative societies.
Sukhu said: “No farmer asked me, but still I have raised the price of milk by Rs 13-15 a litre to support rural livelihoods and as part of our commitment to strengthen the rural economy and improve the living standards of farmer families.” He asked Himachal Pradesh Milk Federation to adopt modern technology for transparency in milk procurement.
He said a digital system to be launched by Mar 31 next year will provide the farmers with real-time data on milk purchases. They will get SMS notifications detailing the quality and price of their milk, with payments credited directly to their bank accounts. The CM claimed that improving farmers’ income was central to his govt’s budget priorities. He said: “Our ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’ (systemic change) initiative envisions a better life for villagers, with support for rural industries.”
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