Shimla: An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here today between the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Kinnaur District Cooperative Marketing & Consumer Federation Ltd. (KINFED) in the presence of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for the local procurement and supply of quality Pahadi sheep and goat meat to ITBP personnel.
Initially, the cooperative sector is expected to meet around 10 percent of the ITBP’s total meat requirement, creating an estimated annual economic opportunity of approximately Rs. 90 lakh for the local cooperative ecosystem. With the potential to progressively meet the entire requirement through the cooperative sector, the annual economic value of the initiative could increase to around Rs. 9 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the initiative marks an important step towards strengthening the welfare of ITBP personnel while creating sustainable economic linkages with communities residing in the border areas. He said that the MoU would ensure regular availability of safe, quality and hygienically processed sheep and goat meat for ITBP personnel deployed in remote and border areas. At the same time, it would provide a dependable institutional market for local livestock producers through the cooperative sector.
The Chief Minister said that the initiative would give a boost to economic activity and strengthen livelihoods in border villages, besides further strengthening the bond between the ITBP and communities living along the border.Sukhu said that the MoU has been envisaged as a broader platform for local procurement and would progressively be expanded, in a phased manner, to include locally produced items such as eggs, poultry, fresh vegetables, trout and other suitable local produce. This, he said, would provide assured institutional markets to local producers and cooperatives, create additional livelihood opportunities and deepen ITBP’s engagement with communities in the border areas.
IG Northern Frontier, ITBP, Manu Maharaaj said that the ITBP remains committed to the welfare of its personnel and to building a strong and enduring partnership with the communities that form an integral part of the country’s northern border landscape.
Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi, DIG Shimla ITBP Ravi and office bearers of KINFED were also present on the occasion.
