The Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath has started the process of implementing the Nand Baba Milk Mission with Rs 1,000 crore to ensure fair price of milk to the milk producers by forming milk committees in the villages of the state.

For the operation of the mission, a state steering committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the chief secretary, a state executive committee has been formed under the chairmanship of additional chief secretary of dairy development at the state level, and district executive committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the district magistrate at the district level.

Additionally, a state programme management unit and a district programme management unit have been constituted at the headquarters of the mission. The National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) has been named as the project management consultant (PMC).

The Nandini Krishak Samriddhi Yojana, Mukhyamantri Swadeshi Gau Samvardhan Yojana, Mukhyamantri Pragatisheel Pashupalak Protsahan Yojana, and the establishment of Primary Dairy Cooperative Society are four significant schemes being run by the Yogi government under the Nand Baba Milk Mission.

Under the Nandini Krishak Samriddhi Yojana, which is being run to improve the breed of cattle and increase milk productivity, more and more units of milch cows of advanced breed will be established in the field of animal husbandry. In the first phase, 35 units of 25 milch cows of Gir, Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Gangatiri breeds will be established for entrepreneurship development among cattle farmers.

In this, a provision has been made to give 50 per cent grant to the beneficiaries up to a maximum of Rs 31.25 lakh. Under the scheme, the beneficiary’s share will be 15 per cent, bank loan will be 35 per cent, and grant will be 50 per cent. The grant will be given in three phases.

Under the Nand Baba Milk Mission, Mukhyamantri Swadeshi Gau Samvardhan Yojana is being run to encourage the purchase of improved indigenous breeds of cows from outside the state. The main objective of the scheme is to provide employment to youths and women of rural areas in the state by engaging them in livestock farming, increasing the number of advanced breed cows in the state, and improving the breed of indigenous cows.

Under the scheme, there is a plan to encourage cattle farmers to purchase improved indigenous breeds of cows from outside the state, in which each beneficiary will be reimbursed the cost of setting up a maximum of two milch cattle units of improved Gir, Sahiwal, Haryana and Tharparkar breeds. Each beneficiary will be provided a grant of 40 per cent of the cost, which is up to Rs 80,000. The scheme will benefit 50 per cent of women dairy producers and cattle farmers.

The Mukhyamantri Pragatisheel Pashupalak Protsahan Yojana is also being implemented to improve the breed of indigenous cows and boost milk production. Under the scheme, there is a plan to create awareness about indigenous cows as well as encourage cattle farmers to increase the milk productivity of indigenous breeds of cows.

The scheme further aims to provide incentives to progressive cattle farmers for a maximum of two cows. The livestock farmers will be given incentives only once in their lifetime. Incentive amount will be provided at the rate of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per cow, along with direct benefit transfer and appreciation certificate.

Under the mission, one milk committee will be formed in each of the 621 development blocks of the state (in which milk committees have not been formed at the village level this year). An expenditure of Rs 69,000 will be made on the formation and operation of each milk committee, and a maximum of Rs 1,50,000 will be spent on the establishment of the Data Processing Milk Collection Unit (DPMCU) in all milk committees.