U'khand to set up milk development council to boost production

A milk development council will be set up in Uttarakhand to promote milk production in the state by creating better coordination among milk unions and linking the trade with self-employment.
This was announced by Chief Minister Harish Rawat at a meeting with representatives of different milk federations here yesterday, an official release said here.
Noting that Uttarakhand has tremendous potential in the field of milk production, Rawat asked officials to launch a massive drive across the state to promote milk production and link the trade with self-employment.
Members of milk committees can be given an encouragement allowance to achieve this goal, he said asking officials concerned to work out a plan in this regard and conduct an awareness drive in the rural areas to encourage them for milk production.

The government will provide all help to milk unions so that they adopt modern technologies for better milk production, Rawat added.
It will also strengthen women milk unions and increase their number, he said.

The proposal of setting up milk plants in every district headquarters will also be considered by the government, he said.
Fodder producing trees should be planted in coordination with the forest department so that there is no paucity of fodder in rural areas, he said and underlined the importance of evolving better marketing techniques for the state's milk products.
Prominent among those who attended the meeting were milk production minister Harish Chandra Durgapal, Nainital milk union chief Sanjay Kimaula, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar and Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Sharma.