Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 3: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs & Tribal Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali has said that the Tribal Department would soon install 125 Bulk Milk Coolers (BMCs) on pilot basis in 4 districts of Jammu province to launch organized milk marketing in the State.
The Minister stated this while chairing a meeting in this regard with Commissioner Secretary to Government, Tribal Affairs Shafiq Raina, Commissioner Secretary to Government, RK Bhagat, Special Secretary to Tribal Affairs Mohammad Shareef, Director Tribal Affairs Mohammad Rafi Poswal, Secretary J&K State Board for Gujjar and Bakerwal Mukhtar Chowdhary and Chief Executive Officer of J&K Milk Federation.
He directed Tribal Department to release Rs. 2.54 crore funds for installing 125 Bulk Milk Coolers initially in Samba, Kathua, Jammu and Rajouri districts on pilot basis. He instructed the officers to install 50 BMCs in Samba, 25 in Kathua, 25 in Jammu and 25 units in Rajouri initially .
In this regard, the Minister constituted a monitoring committee in which Director Tribal Affairs will be Supervisor, Director Animal Husbandry Jammu will be co-supervisor, CEO JK Milk Federation will be Member Secretary and Chief Animal Husbandry Officer of concerned district will be the member. The committee will supervise the whole operation along with identification of units in 200 villages and selection of entrepreneurs.
The Minister said that initially milk will be collected from the farmers in 125 villages and stored in Bulk Milk Coolers from where it will be taken to 5 Chilling Centres, 2 in Samba and one each in Rajouri, Jammu and Kathua. He said that milk will be purchased transported and marketed by the JK Milk Federation.
Regarding the quality concern, the Minister said that the department will also install adulteration checking machines and milk testing centres in these 125 villages, adding that the project will start from Rakh Grotian village of Samba within 10 days.
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