Ludhiana, Oct 19 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said that due to strenuous efforts of the state government, Milkfed, the state's leading cooperative, will augment milk supply to Delhi from currently 30,000 litres to 2 lakh litres, thereby immensely benefitting milk producers of the state.
"This is a revolutionary step aimed at supplementing the income of the farmers to bail them out from the agrarian crisis," he said after inaugurating Verka's newly-built milk processing and butter plant here.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has inked an agreement with the Delhi government in this regard.
He said as per this agreement, Verka will open new outlets at every nook and corner of Delhi to supply milk and milk products in the capital. Mann asserted that the sole aim of his government is to extend maximum support and best prices to the dairy farmers of Punjab by following the true essence of cooperation.
He also called for implementation of farmer-friendly schemes so as to boost the dairying business amongst the youth and make them financially independent and self-reliant.
Mann also said that he has asked Milkfed to further launch an aggressive marketing campaign to capture a sizable chunk of consumer market not only in the state but across the country and even abroad. He said this leading state cooperative has a perceptible presence in the domestic market as Verka is a household name in the region.
The Chief Minister said that Verka products like ghee, milk, butter, lassi, kheer, curd, ice-cream, sweets and others have already created a niche for themselves in the nationwide market which could further be widened with concerted efforts.
Striking an emotional chord with city of Ludhiana, he described it as his 'karam bhoomi' whereas Satauj village was his 'janambhoomi', adding the state-of-the-art project, constructed at a cost of Rs 105 crore, is a Diwali bonanza for the farmers.
Mann said its milk processing capacity is 9 lakh litres daily and 10 metric tonne butter handling capacity.
The Chief Minister asserted Punjabis are blessed with the qualities of entrepreneurship and leadership, and due to these qualities, have carved a niche for themselves across the globe. Mann said his government strives to make youth of Punjab to job providers instead of job seekers.
According to media reports, Mann, who was on a eigh-day trip to Germany till September 18, delayed his departure as he was reportedly in 'an inebriated state'. However, AAP has strongly denied the charge, saying Mann was not deplaned at the Frankfurt airport. The party termed it as false and frivolous propaganda by political rivals.
The official added that a case was registered against Shailendra Sharma, the Superintendent and Tax Clerk Raman Agarwal on a complaint alleging that they were demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 which was reduced to Rs 25,000 from the complainant for getting his mutation file processed. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.
Both -- Mandeep, alias Manna Tuffan, and Manpreet, alias Mani Rayia -- were allegedly involved in the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia. Kandowalia, who was facing dozens of cases of murder and attempt to murder, was gunned down outside a private hospital in Amritsar in August last year. The Bhagwanpuria group had taken the responsibility for the murder.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat. The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.
The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt). His party - Punjab Lok Congress - though had failed to get even a single seat during the assembly elections.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.
