Ludhiana, Oct 19 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said that due to strenuous efforts of the state government, Milkfed, the state's leading cooperative, will augment milk supply to Delhi from currently 30,000 litres to 2 lakh litres, thereby immensely benefitting milk producers of the state.
"This is a revolutionary step aimed at supplementing the income of the farmers to bail them out from the agrarian crisis," he said after inaugurating Verka's newly-built milk processing and butter plant here.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has inked an agreement with the Delhi government in this regard.
He said as per this agreement, Verka will open new outlets at every nook and corner of Delhi to supply milk and milk products in the capital. Mann asserted that the sole aim of his government is to extend maximum support and best prices to the dairy farmers of Punjab by following the true essence of cooperation.
He also called for implementation of farmer-friendly schemes so as to boost the dairying business amongst the youth and make them financially independent and self-reliant.
Mann also said that he has asked Milkfed to further launch an aggressive marketing campaign to capture a sizable chunk of consumer market not only in the state but across the country and even abroad. He said this leading state cooperative has a perceptible presence in the domestic market as Verka is a household name in the region.
The Chief Minister said that Verka products like ghee, milk, butter, lassi, kheer, curd, ice-cream, sweets and others have already created a niche for themselves in the nationwide market which could further be widened with concerted efforts.
Striking an emotional chord with city of Ludhiana, he described it as his 'karam bhoomi' whereas Satauj village was his 'janambhoomi', adding the state-of-the-art project, constructed at a cost of Rs 105 crore, is a Diwali bonanza for the farmers.
Mann said its milk processing capacity is 9 lakh litres daily and 10 metric tonne butter handling capacity.
The Chief Minister asserted Punjabis are blessed with the qualities of entrepreneurship and leadership, and due to these qualities, have carved a niche for themselves across the globe. Mann said his government strives to make youth of Punjab to job providers instead of job seekers.
He was found soaked in blood on the driving seat of the Mahindra Thar SUV. There were two more occupants in the car -- Sidhu's friends, Gurwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh.
As per the information, Shubhdeep Singh, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, who left his house around 4.30 p.m. on Sunday along with two persons -- Gurwinder Singh (neighbour) and Gurpreet Singh (cousin), was shot dead by some unidentified persons.
The gallantry awards were given to the personnel of the armed forces, central armed police forces and state/Union Territory police forces for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage, and extreme devotion to duty.
People in Kulgam took out a protest march holding placards and candles in their hands, condemning the brutal killing of civilians by terrorists in Kashmir, and demanded an end to violence.
Youth Congress national president Srinivas BV said that within a span of a few months, the AAP government has shown Punjab everything which was unimaginable.
Earlier in the day Bishnoi had alleged that the Punjab police can do mishappening with him under political pressure. His plea has been accepted by the Delhi High Court which will hear arguments in the matter. Moosewala's autopsy revealed that he had 24 bullet injuries whereas 30 rounds were fired.
