Secretary Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Department Kifayat Hussain Rizvi today flagged off a team of 75 ‘Automatic Milk Collection System’ Operators, for a study tour to AMUL, Anand, Gujarat.Mission Director, J&K State Rural livelihoods Mission (JKSRLM) Dr G. N. Qasba and other officers were present on the occasion.The study tour organised under Umeed programme aims at strengthening the traditional livelihood with latest technological intervention.Rizvi while addressing the gathering said under the Umeed programme, so far 200 Automatic Milk Collection Systems have been set up across 12 districts, which are owned and managed by members of Self Help Groups in the villages. He said Automatic Milk Collection System (AMCS) is a combination of a Personal Computer with milk procurement software, automatic FAT determination machine, weighing scale, and UPS/battery, used for testing and maintenance of records. With AMCS, milk producers get printed information on the quality of their milk, its rate and total amount on real time basis. This mechanism facilitates better quality and milk production resulting in increased revenue generation for the members.
Dr. G. N. Qasba in his address said the study tour has been organized by J&K State Rural Livelihoods Mission (Umeed) in collaboration with J&K Milk Producer’s Cooperative Limited. During the tour the 75 women SHG members (35 from Jammu & 40 from Kashmir) would study the functioning of integrated dairy cooperatives, various dairy product plants, cattle feed of AMUL which have been successful models of cooperative in India to emerge as the largest milk producer in the world. The same model shall be strengthened in the State. The team is accompanied by officials from JKSRLM headed by team leader.Dr. Qasba, also informed that consequent upon the commencement of milk procurement from villages, 137 No’s of women SHG members have been employed and around 5000 milk producers of different villages availed remunerative market for their milk with consistent and time bound source of income, thereby generating livelihoods and enhancing female empowerment in rural areas. He further informed that JKSRLM shall expand Automatic Milk Collection Centres across the State by setting up another 300 Automatic Milk Collection System during next year, as the Umeed programme is aimed to provide better livelihood facilities to the women particularly in rural areas.