The State Government is planning to open outlets of Vijaya Dairy, the government-owned milk producer, across the State to create self-employment opportunities to unemployed youth.
The government is in negotiations with farmers for procuring milk to meet the requirements of Vijaya Dairy which has close to a dozen products under its name. Steps have also been initiated to procure 100 vehicles to operate mobile veterinary clinics taking the medical services to the doorstep of farmers, Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
He was replying to a heated debate on the issue which came up during the Question Hour in the Assembly amid charges from the Congress that the government’s assurances to upgrade the dairy into a mega dairy remained on paper. The Congress members alleged that inspite of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s assurance that an incentive of Rs. 4 a litre would be paid to milk producers, the payments were not being made on regular basis.
Congress member T. Jeevan Reddy alleged that the government failed to pay the incentives to milk producers even after nine months of the financial year. The Minister explained that the government had issued budget release order amounting to Rs.51.76 crore in addition to the regular budget of Rs.20.33 crore towards incentive to milk producers.
Efforts are on to release dues to the tune of Rs. 22.59 crore from April to August last year, he said, alleging that the Opposition is trying to gain political mileage out of the issue.
Not satisfied with the Minister’s response, the Congress members staged a walk out from the House.