Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah inaugurated Mega Dairy at Mandya in Karnataka today. Several dignitaries including Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji, the 72nd Pontiff of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, Mandya, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj Bommai, former Prime Minister Shri HD Deve Gowda and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Coal and Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi were present on the occasion.

Condoling the demise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother, Shri Amit Shah paid tributes to her and said that the whole country is standing with the Prime Minister in this hour of grief. The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that since independence, the farmers of the country had demanded a Ministry of Cooperation separate from the Ministry of Agriculture. He said that he would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for paving the way for the development of farmers by forming a separate Ministry of Cooperation. Shri Shah said that from the inaugural platform of Mandya Mega Dairy, he wants to tell the cooperative workers across the country that it is the decision of the Government of India that there will be no injustice to the cooperatives.

The Union Cooperation Minister said that the mega dairy inaugurated today at a cost of Rs 260 crore would process 10 lakh liters of milk per day and the will have the capacity to increase it upto 14 lakh liters per day. He said that when 10 lakh liters of milk is processed, prosperity reaches the homes of lakhs of farmers. Shri Shah said that in Karnataka, the cooperative dairy is working very well. Today, there are 15,210 village level cooperative dairies in Karnataka, in which about 26.22 lakh farmers deliver their milk daily and through 16 district level dairies, Rs 28 crore is deposited into the accounts of 26 lakh farmers every day.

Shri Amit Shah said that around 66,000 kg milk used to be processed daily in Karnataka in 1975 while today over 82 lakh kg milk is processed daily and 80% of the total turnover goes to the farmer. The Union Cooperation Minister said that the White Revolution in Gujarat has changed the fortunes of the farmers and through Amul, 60,000 crore rupees is deposited into the bank accounts of about 36 lakh women annually. He said that he would like to assure all the farmer brothers and sisters of Karnataka that Amul and Nandini will work together towards establishing primary dairies in every village of Karnataka and in next three years there will not be a single village in Karnataka where primary dairy has not been established. Shri Amit Shah said that the government has decided that the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Ministry of Cooperation will establish a primary dairy in every panchayat of the country in the next three years and a complete action plan has been prepared in this regard. He said that with this, two lakh primary dairies will be established at the village level across the country in three years, through which India will emerge as a big exporter in the milk sector by connecting the farmers of the country with the White Revolution.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that Karnataka Milk Federation will be provided with technical support, cooperative sector support and overall functioning support from Amul and all its requirements will be addressed  by the Ministry of Cooperation. He said that Gujarat and Karnataka together can work for the welfare of the milk producing farmers of the whole country. Union Cooperation Minister appreciated the Government of Karnataka under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for ensuring depositing Rs 1,250 crore directly to bank accounts of milk producing farmers through DBT at the rate of Rs 5 per liter during the year. Shri Amit Shah said that Government led by Shri Bommai is crediting Rs. 1,250 crore annually through DBT to the accounts of milk producing farmers and also to remove malnutrition among children through the Ksheer Bhagya scheme, milk is being provided to 65 lakh children in 51,000 government schools and 39 lakh children in 64,000 Anganwadis .Shri Amit Shah congratulated the Chairman of Mandya Milk Producers Committee for his efforts to increase the income of all the farmers of Mandya district through dairy.

****

NW/RK/AY/AS