NDDB sanctions Rs26-cr dairy projects for Bihar

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has sanctioned 14 sub-projects with a total outlay of Rs25.80 crore for Bihar. The project has a Rs25.14 crore grant component and Rs65.70 lakh share of end implementing agencies (EIAs).

The 14 sub-projects include activities like fodder development (FD), ration balancing programme (RBP) and village based milk procurement system (VBMPS).

The beneficiary end implementing agencies include Bihar State Milk Cooperative Federation-COMFED (Kosi and Magadh Dairy Projects), Baruni Milk Union-Mithila (Samastipur) Milk Union-Tirhut (Muzzafarpur) Milk Union-Vaishali Patliputra (Patna) Milk Union and Vikramshila (Bhagalpur) Milk Union.

For fodder development, four sub projects have been approved for implementation by milk unions of Barauni, Mithila, Tirhut (Muzzaffarpur) and  Vikramshila (Bagalpur) with total outlay of Rs6.99 crore as grant assistance.

Under VBMPS activity, six projects have been approved for implementation by COMFED (at Kosi and Magagdh) and Milk unions of Mithila, Tirhut, Vaishal Patliputra (Patna) and Vikramshila with a total outlay of Rs12.44 crore comprising Rs11.78 crore as grant assistance and Rs65.70 lakh as EIA contribution.

For ration balancing programme, four projects have been approved for implementation by COMFED (at Kosi and Magagdh) and milk unions of Mithila and Vaishal Patliputra (Patna) with total outlay of Rs6.37 crore as grant assistance.

The National Dairy Plan-I (NDP-I) was launched during March 2012 for implementation during 2011-12 to 2016-17 Plan period with the following objectives: 

• Help increase the productivity of milch animals and thereby increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk; and
• Provide rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk-processing sector.

The scheme is being implemented by NDDB through end implementing agencies (EIAs) comprising state government, state livestock boards, state cooperative dairy federations, district cooperative milk producer unions, cooperative forms of enterprises such as producer companies, trusts (NGOs, 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 constituting 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.