Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS &CA) and Tribal Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali today laid foundation stone of a bulk milk cooler plant at village Rakh Barotian, Vijaypur in District Samba. Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Parkash Ganga was also present on the occasion.Minister was informed that the milk cooling plant has a capacity of cooling two thousand litres milk and is to be constructed at the cost of 19 lakhs by Jammu & Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative Limited (JKMPCL). The centre will collect milk from the milk producers and send it to the market for sale after packaging.Appreciating the efforts of the concerned officers, Chowdhary Zulfkar said that many milk producers, farmers and villagers related to this field especially the people from Gujjar and Bakerwal community who are totally dependent on milk producing animals can reap the maximum benefits from this scheme.Addressing a huge gathering on the occasion, the Minister said that this scheme is initiated with the total cost of 2.54 crore rupees in which 4 milk cooling plant at the estimated cost of 19 lakhs per centre will be constructed. Out of four centres, two centres will be built at Samba, one at Rajouri and one at Kathua.
In addition milk procurement booths, where the quality of the milk can also be checked, will be created at 125 villages at the estimated cost of Rs 1.44 lakhs per booth.The Minister asserted that state government has launched number of schemes to uplift the economic standard of the people especially associated to the field of milk production. Chowdhary Zulfkar alleged that successive governments in the past have ignored the most of the population living below the poverty line. “Both State and Central governments has acknowledged their miseries and announced number of welfare schemes for them,” Minister added.The Minister for Industries and Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga, while speaking on the occasion, exhorted upon that government is committed for the upliftment of the down trodden people of the state and has initiated many schemes for their welfare.Vice Chairman of Advisory Board for Gujjar and Bakarwal Gulzar Khatana, Deputy Commissioner, Samba Sheetal Nanda, SSP Samba Anil Magotra, SDM Vijaypur Ravinder Sharma, Senior Officers of the concerned departments and a large number of local villagers were present on the occasion.