Project Sattva launched to make Indian diary sector efficient

Project 'Sattva', aimed at bringing efficiency in the country's dairy sector and improving rural livelihoods by rearing high-yielding cattle and value addition to milk, was launched here on Saturday.

"Project Sattva: Churning Purity into Progress" by international not-for-profit students' organisation Enactus Shri Ram College of Commerce is based in villages on the periphery of Karnal in Haryana where the principal source of livelihood is dairy farming.

"Through this endeavour, we aim to facilitate micro-finance and scientific training for women dairy farmers and to promote women-run milk collection and processing centres to provide fresh unadulterated milk and milk products," said Abhay Kumar, faculty advisor, Enactus SRCC.

First, entrepreneurial women are identified after which they are organised into two different self help groups - suppliers (who receive technical training in cattle rearing) and producers (trained in processing milk into milk products).

"We simultaneously help create a stable demand for the milk and milk products by tapping into diverse urban markets. This will ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the two groups so that the operations of each group augment the other's success," Kumar said.

Finally, the groups would be brought under a common federation to create a brand of fresh high quality milk and milk products. They would also be trained in financial literacy and communication skills, to ensure "smooth operations of the enterprise".

Established in 2007, Enactus SRCC has successfully completed eight projects and currently has three ongoing projects: Project Sattva, Project Azmat and Project Kayakalp.