Govt okays inclusion of 3 states under national dairy plan

The government today approved a proposal for inclusion of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in dairy development programme while extending the National Dairy Plan-1 for two more years.
"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for inclusion of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in the list of states to be covered under the National Dairy Plan-1," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here after the meeting.
National Dairy Plan-1, a central scheme, was approved for implementation in 15 milk potential states by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with an outlay of Rs 2,242 crore for a period of six years from 2011-12 to 2016-17.

The implementation period of the plan has also been extended for two years till 2018-19 in order to achieve key outputs, he added.
Giving the rationale behind the decision, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, "Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are newly formed states comprising mainly tribal population and having substantial milch animal population and have the potential for coverage under NDP-I."
It is a scientifically planned multi-state initiative with the objective to help in increasing the productivity of milch animals and thereby raising milk production also.

The plan also aims to provide rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk processing sector.

Welcoming the decision, NDDB Chairman T Nanda Kumar said, "It is extremely important to develop these three states, where poverty is an issue. Dairy development will make a difference in socio-economic patter in these states."
NDDB is already running Jharkhand Milk Federation and Chattisgarh Milk Federation has also shown interest, he said.
The NDP-I started one year late and now is in the third year. The two years extension will help in achieving the desired results, Kumar added.