Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the owner of Indian dairy giant brand ‘Amul’, on Monday said that it has made arrangements to pay its milk producer members as direct credit in their respective banks in order to facilitate payment to milk producers who have been affected by demonetization of `500 and `1,000 currency notes.
GCMMF has 18 associated milk unions, whose over 36 lakh milk producers and are paid about `450 crore every week through 18,500 milk cooperative societies in Gujarat. Members of 400 milk unions in Chhota Udepur, brought in milk cans and threw the milk in the premises of collectorate. They shouted slogans of seeking money in lieu of sale of their milk. Similarly, last week several milk producers had resorted to similar scenes of spilling milk on roads and streets in Surat and Anand.
Sixty percent of milk producers were having bank accounts but due to some vested interests, the payment was made in cash, said GCMMF chairman Jetha Patel. GCMMF chairman, however, maintained that there has been no impact of demonetisation of currency notes on milk procurement and its sale in the market.
In a development related to demonetization, Gujarat chief secretary J N Singh has sought more quota of newer currency notes to ease the situation prevalent in the State. He also made a request to allow district cooperative banks to dispense and exchange currency. RBI has currently barred district cooperative banks from exchanging old notes by new currency since last week.
Singh made this representation before a three-member team of senior Central government officials who are on state visit to assess the situation at banks in the state in wake of Modi Government’s move to demonetise high denomination currencies. The three-member team is led by Airport Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra and consists of Joint Secretary of Coal, GoI, and Director of Drinking Water Resource from Maharashtra. The team that met chief secretary in Gandhinagar and visited Vadodara on Monday, is slated to visit several banks and post offices in Ahmedbad, Rajkot, Mahesana and Surendranagar to meet common citizens and traders. They will submit a ground report to the Central Government after their visit.
