Centre okays relaxing cow milk fat content norms in Pb, Har

The Centre has approved a proposal to allow parity in fat standards of cow milk in Punjab and Haryana with other states in the country, bringing it down from 4 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
At a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Union Health Minister J P Nadda here today, it was also informed that all requisite formalities for setting up of AIIMS in Bathinda have been completed and cleared by a special committee constituted for this purpose, and that the proposal will be moved in the next Cabinet meeting for clearance.
Punjab Government had long been demanding parity in fat standards of cow milk with other states, bringing it down from 4 pc to 3.5 pc as permitted in the rest of the country by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Nadda informed Badal that bringing the prescribed fat standards of cow milk in Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh at par with other states has been cleared by the task force on milk and milk products constituted by the FSSAI.
The Union minister said the final notification in this regard would be issued by the Union Health Ministry within two months after getting a green signal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) as it was mandatory under the prescribed rules and regulations to seek its prior nod.
The Chief Minister said this decision would give a major boost to the dairy sector and offer a level-playing field to dairy farmers in the state.

On the issue of AIIMS, Nadda assured Badal that soon after the Cabinet's nod, work on this mega health project would be taken up on a war-footing. The Chief Minister extended a formal invite to Nadda to lay the foundation of Bathinda AIIMS.
Badal also sought special funds for reviving the Amritsar Government Medical College, one of the oldest and prestigious medical colleges in the country, and urged the Health Ministry to allow one-time special grant to refurbish its heritage grandeur.
Nadda asked the state to submit a comprehensive proposal to enable him to take it up with Finance Ministry separately for funds in view of College's rich heritage.