This refers to the report "Dairy sector upbeat on revenue growth in FY14" (February 28). The dairy sector in India is eyeing a rise in revenue in the current financial year, but what about the consumers? Milk prices are raised after regular intervals - the price of one litre of branded cow milk in Mumbai is Rs 38, and that of buffalo milk is Rs 48. As usual, in any price rise of an essential commodity, the end-user is always squeezed - be it petrol, diesel or milk products. The saving grace is that at least one does not need milk cards, as was the case in my childhood in Chennai where green milk cards were in vogue to buy milk from wooden stalls set up by the government. Milk cards were also essential to buy milk products in Mumbai in the eighties. In Mumbai, milk is available at the government's Aarey Milk Colony and a host of other co-operative dairies such as Krishna and Gokul, apart from the milk produced at tabelas. Some people prefer tabela milk since they can see it being extracted. People queue up at these tabelas in suburbs such as Goregaon, Jogeshwari and Bail Bazaar near Saki Naka every day. The general elections are to be held soon and it is surprising that not even a single political party has thought of supplying free milk to woo voters. The promise of subsidised power and free water elevated the Aam Aadmi Party to victory in the Delhi Assembly elections. Are other political parties listening?
Deendayal M Lulla Mumbai
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