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.
The incident occurred at Thondamathur in Coimbatore district. Tamil Nadu fire and rescue department and local police are engaged in the process to lift the vehicle from the well-using cranes. Police said that rash driving could be the reason for the accident.
The US Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will explore partnerships with the Indian education sector during the delegation visits to Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi between September 12-16. The delegation will comprise representatives of 21 US HEIs from 15 US states which will go around the three major Indian cities, against the backdrop of India's New Education Policy-2020.
The national flag will be flown at half-mast on Sunday throughout India and there will be no official entertainment programme on that day, a statement issued by the government said on Friday. Britain is observing 10-day state mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. Britain's royal family will observe a period of mourning that will end on the seventh day after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
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The Chief Minister, accompanied by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, said that by playing musical chairs, the traditional parties have mercilessly plundered the wealth of the state, and have connived with each other to shield their misdeeds.
The flights, to be introduced from October 30, will connect Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai with Qatar's capital Doha during this period. 13 flights per week will operate from Mumbai, four from Hyderabad and three from Chennai. These flights will be in addition to the existing daily flights to Doha from Delhi.
