Government raises total outlay to Rs 6,190 crore for two schemes to boost milk production
Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has revised two schemes -- National Program for Dairy Development (NPDD) and Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), raising the total outlay to Rs 6,190 crore to boost milk production, procurement level, processing capacity, lab testing facilities and other related infrastructure.
The Revised NPDD, a Central Sector Scheme, has been enhanced with an additional Rs 1,000 crore, bringing the total budget to Rs 2,790 crore for the period of the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26). This initiative focuses on modernising and expanding dairy infrastructure, ensuring the sector's sustained growth and productivity. The revised NPDD will give an impetus to the dairy sector by creating infrastructure for milk procurement, processing capacity, and ensuring better quality control. It is intended to help farmers gain better access to markets, ensure better pricing through value addition, and improve the efficiency of the supply chain.
The Cabinet also approved the Revised RGM to boost growth in the livestock sector. Implementation of revised RGM, as central sector component of Development Programmes scheme is being done with an additional outlay of Rs 1,000 crore, that is total outlay of Rs 3,400 crore during 15th Finance Commission cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26. Under the RGM, two new activities have been added, a) one-time assistance of 35 per cent of the capital cost for establishment of Heifer Rearing Centres to Implementing Agencies for creation of 30 housing facilities having a total of 15,000 heifers; (b) encourage farmers to purchase high genetic merit (HGM) IVF heifers to provide 3 per cent interest subvention on loan taken by the farmer from milk unions/financial institutions/ banks. This will help in systemic induction of high-yielding breeds.
