Dairy farmers to get 'kisan credit card' as well: Union minister Rupala

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala on Friday said the 'kisan credit card' will be given to dairy farmers as well enabling them to get loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at reduced interest rates.

Speaking at the National Milk Day celebrations in Anand in Gujarat, the Union minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying also launched online IVF labs for cattle rearing at Hessarghata in Karnataka and Dhamrod in Gujarat apart from distributing Gopal Ratna awards.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started a new scheme for livestock farmers which will benefit them immensely. Earlier Kisan Credit Card were issued to farmers only but now they will be issued to dairy farmers as well. They can avail upto Rs 3 lakh in credit at very low interest, Rupala said at the function.

The card allows beneficiaries to get loans from NABARD at rates ranging from 2 to 4 per cent.

Rupala appreciated the cooperative movement initiated by Dr Varghese Kurien and also congratulated NDDB and AMUL for maintaining the legacy and tradition of cooperatives, adding that this tradition percolated to many other states and made the country the largest producer of milk in the world.

Stressing that technological interventions and innovations will usher in not only improvement in productivity but also encourage entrepreneurship, he commissioned IVF labs online at Hessarghata in Karnataka and Dhamrod in Gujarat, besides launching the 'Grand Start up Challenge 2.0' and web portal for 'breed multiplication farm'.

During the programme, he gave away Gopal Ratna Awards for the categories of Best Dairy Farmer, Best Artificial Insemination Technician and Best Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS).

Rupala, along with Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and L Murugan as well as Secretary (AHD), Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying Atul Chaturvedi, flagged off an innovative mobile milking machine manufactured by Indian Dairy Machinery Company Limited.

On this land of Sardar Patel, I pay my respect to Verghese Kurien on whose birth anniversary we celebrate National Milk Day. The white revolution led by him has helped India become largest milk producer in the world, Murugan said in his address.

Balyan reiterated the need for taking the cooperative movement into other states and advocated "vocal for local" and "taking local to global".