Animal Sheds to Be Built on Panchayat Land Under Shared Dairy Scheme
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) registered under cooperative societies would be given special incentives to make them economically self-reliant. Under the Sanjhi Dairies Yojana, animal sheds would be constructed on Panchayat land for these groups, while loan facilities would also be provided for the purchase of dairy animals.
The Chief Minister said this while chairing a review meeting of cooperative federations, including HAFED, Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation Ltd, Vita Booths, Har-Hith Stores, Labourfed and Housefed on late Monday evening. Cooperation Minister Dr. Arvind Sharma was also present.
The Chief Minister said the State Government has taken several initiatives to enhance income opportunities in rural areas. Women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) registered under cooperative societies will be provided an incentive of Rs. 10 per litre. He said there would be no shortage of budgetary support for milk production and other dairy products.
He further said that an increase of Rs. 2 per litre in the incentive currently being provided by the Cooperation Department. Accordingly, the existing incentive of Rs. 3 per litre during winter has been enhanced to Rs. 5 per litre, while the Rs. 5 per litre incentive during summer has been increased to Rs. 7 per litre.
The Chief Minister further said that an additional Rs. 3 per litre incentive towards milk marketing to make Vita milk profitable and competitive with other milk brands in the market.
Murrah Buffalo is Haryana’s Identity
The Chief Minister said the Murrah buffalo is the pride and identity of Haryana. He stressed that more meaningful efforts should be made to increase milk production. In this regard, he directed that women groups in Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) be encouraged to establish dairy units. He informed that 143 Self-Help Groups had already agreed to sell milk through the cooperative network. To realise the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’, these groups would soon be provided modern dairy infrastructure, including animal sheds, enabling them to commence dairy operations.
710 Cooperative Societies Registered Online
The Chief Minister said 710 out of the State’s 800 cooperative societies had already been registered online. The campaign was being expedited so that all cooperative societies could be registered online and the share transfer service could also be introduced. He directed that CM PACS be upgraded into M-PACS, enabling them to undertake 33 different activities, including Common Service Centres (CSCs), cattle feed distribution, seed sales, fertilisers and pesticides.
The Chief Minister said that a comprehensive action plan should be prepared on the lines of other States to make cooperative societies financially viable. Cooperative societies have the potential to generate employment for every household, thereby strengthening the rural economy and taking Haryana’s dairy sector to new heights.
700 More Vita Booths to Be Opened Across the State
The Chief Minister said 674 Vita booths had already been opened across the State to promote employment. Another 318 booths would be opened shortly, while the process for 240 more booths was underway. He said work was being carried out on a fast-track basis to further expand the Vita booth network.
He said cooperative societies were currently procuring five lakh litres of milk every day. Stressing the need for value addition, he said a variety of dairy products should be manufactured so that the cooperative federation could be brought out of losses. He also announced that ice cream production would commence shortly.
Bawal Dairy Plant Capacity to be Increased to Five Lakh Litres
The Chief Minister directed that efforts be made to market Vita milk and dairy products through the Railways and the Defence sector. He said a 1.50 lakh-litre capacity dairy plant was being established at Bawal, and its capacity would be enhanced in phases to five lakh litres. Another 1.50 lakh-litre capacity dairy plant was also being established at Ambala. In addition, 21 milk chilling centres, each with a capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 litres, would be established across the State.
The Chief Minister said 75 Vita booths had already been opened at Haryana Roadways bus stands. Similar Vita booths would also be opened at railway stations, tourist destinations, group housing societies and civil hospitals, on the lines of Jan Aushadhi Stores. He further said that 1,400 Harhit Stores would be established across the State, while 300 sites had been identified in village panchayats for IOCL.
Sugar Mills Should Target 130 Crushing Days and 10 Per Cent Recovery
The Chief Minister directed that cooperative sugar mills should target 130 crushing days and increase sugar recovery to 10 per cent. He also called for expanding the area under sugarcane cultivation by promoting drip irrigation and encouraging farmers to cultivate more sugarcane. He directed that the Board of Directors should hold quarterly meetings with farmers. He directed that high-quality jaggery be produced at the Kaithal Sugar Mill. He also directed all State Government departments, boards and corporations to use sugar pouches supplied by cooperative sugar mills.
The Chief Minister said that, besides introducing sugarcane harvester machines, efforts were also underway to establish Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants in cooperative sugar mills. He said HARCOFED was providing housing loans of up to Rs. 12.50 lakh at an interest rate of 7 per cent to economically weaker families, and 21,000 houses had already been constructed under the scheme.
The Chief Minister also directed that a detailed report be prepared on tractors and other vehicles purchased by cooperative federations. He further directed that a comprehensive inventory of agricultural implements procured under Custom Hiring Centres be prepared to ensure their optimum utilisation.
He also directed that all financial transactions be carried out online to prevent fraud. Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar, Chief Secretary, Anurag Rastogi, Additional Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Department, Vijayendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Cooperation Department, Pankaj Yadav, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Ajay Kumar, and officers of various cooperative federations also attended the meeting.
