SHIMLA,15.11.24-Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated the new milk processing plant of Milkfed with a capacity of 50 thousand liters per day, built at a cost of Rs. 25.67 crore in Duttnagar of Rampur Assembly constituency. A plant of 20 thousand liters capacity is already installed here, increasing the total capacity of this unit to 70 thousand liters per day. Flavored milk, khoya, ghee, butter, paneer, lassi and curd will be produced in this plant. The Chief Minister said that the milk producers of four districts Shimla, Kullu, Mandi and Kinnaur will benefit from the increase in the capacity of the plant. He said that this will benefit about 20 thousand farmers associated with 271 milk cooperative societies of the area.

Sh. Sukhu appealed to the officials of Himachal Pradesh Milk Federation to adopt modern technology and said that by 31^st March 2025, a digital system should be started which will bring transparency in the purchase of milk and farmers will be provided information about the quality and price of their milk through SMS. Under this system, real time data of milk purchase should be available and farmers can receive money directly in their bank accounts.

He said that the first point of the budget of state government was to strengthen the rural economy so that the income of the farmer families improves and they could live a good life. He said that the 'Vyavashta Parivartan' of the present state government envisages that the people can live a better life in their villages. Improvements are being made in all the government departments so that people could get better facilities. He said, “I have never worked for political gain. I come from an ordinary family and my mother also does farming in the village. No farmer came to me with the demand to increase the price of milk, but I increased the rate of milk by Rs. 13-15 to strengthen the economy of the people of the village.”

The Chief Minister said that the state government has increased the MNREGA wages by a historic Rs. 60 to Rs. 300. Along with this, maize produced through natural farming is being purchased at the rate of Rs. 30 and wheat at the rate of Rs. 40 per kg. He said that the purchase of maize has started and the purchase of wheat would also be started from the next season. He said that the people of the village also have rights over the state's wealth, for which the state government is strengthening the rural economy.

Sh. Sukhu said that the state government will not be distracted by the propaganda of the opposition and will continue to work for the betterment of the people of the state. He said that the previous Jai Ram Thakur government opened educational institutions and health institutions without budget and adequate staff. The previous BJP government distributed freebies worth Rs. 5000 crore for electoral gains. He said that the state government is going to recruit 900 veterinary pharmacists in the Animal Husbandry Department, so that animal breeders could get better facilities at their doorsteps. Due to the actions of the double-engine government, Himachal Pradesh lagged behind in the country in providing quality facilities.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is overcoming every challenge with the blessings of Gods, Goddesses and the public. Successfully facing the political challenge, the number of MLAs of the Congress Party has again increased to 40. He said that the present state government faced the disaster like a war. Without the help of the central government, the state government rehabilitated 23 thousand disaster-affected families and gave a special relief package of Rs. 4500 crore. He said that the responsibility of restoring the roads was given to Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, and the government ensured that the produce of farmers and apple orchardists reached the markets, so that they do not have to suffer financial loss. He said that the state government has also decided to include the disaster-affected people of Samej and Bagi Bridge in the special relief package on the pattern of relief package given last year.

Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Chander Kumar said that today the young generation is retreating from farming, but the present state government is making efforts to provide good income to the people by connecting them with farming again. Therefore, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu took the initiative to improve the breed of livestock and made a historic increase in the rate of milk. He said that the Milk Federation should focus on value addition, so that farmers could get better economic benefits. He said that efforts are being made to promote the milk of hill cow as a separate brand. He said that for quality milk, farmers should take care of the health of their livestock as facilities are being increased for animal breeders. For natural farming, farming and animal husbandry go hand in hand. He said that the scheme of purchasing cow dung from farmers is being implemented on the ground and it will be launched soon.

Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh thanked the Chief Minister for inaugurating the milk processing plant at Duttanagar, which will improve the economic condition of the farmers of the area as well as women in particular. He said that even while in opposition, Sh. Sukhu used to worry about the economic prosperity of the farmers and today after coming to power, he is running many schemes to ensure their welfare. He said that in the coming time, the state government will rope in more such schemes, which would revolutionize the economy of Himachal Pradesh. He said that the state government is constantly making efforts to improve road facilities so that farmers and milk producers could be benefitted.

MD of Milk Federation Vikas Sood welcomed Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The Chief Minister also visited the developmental exhibitions. Former MLA Kishori Lal, Congress leader Buddhi Singh Thakur, APMC Chairman Devanand Verma, Zila Parishad President Chandra Prabha Negi, Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap and members of various milk producing committees were present on the occasion.