NDDB implementing 42 dairy projects worth Rs221 cr across 12 states

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has sanctioned 42 sub-projects involving a total outlay of Rs221,03 crore across 12 states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Out of the total amount, Rs158.95 crore has already been sanctioned as grant assistance and Rs62.08 crore as share of end implementing agencies (EIAs), an official release said today.

The 42 sub-projects cover activities like fodder development (9 projects), ration balancing programme (13 projects), village-based milk procurement system (14 projects), embryo transfer (4 projects), import of bulls (1 project) and strengthening of semen station (1 project). These projects have been sanctioned under the National Dairy Plan-I (NDP-I), which was launched during March 2012 for implementation during 2011-12 to 2016-17.

These projects are intended to help increase the productivity of milch animals and thereby increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk and to help provide rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk-processing sector.

The schemes are being implemented by NDDB through end implementing agencies (EIAs) comprising state governments, state livestock boards, state cooperative dairy federations, district cooperative milk producer unions, cooperative forms of enterprises such as producer companies, trusts (NGO's, section 25 companies), subsidiary of statutory bodies, ICAR institutes and veterinary/dairy institutes/universities and any other entity as may be decided by the national steering committee to be set up under the Plan.

NDP-I would focus on areas with higher potential in the 14 major milk producing states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Kerala, which constitute 90 per cent of the milk production. Coverage of NDP I will, however, be across the country in terms of benefits accruing from the scheme, the release added.