Hike in the price of Aanchal brand milk by the Nainital Milk Production Cooperative Federation (NMPCF), lalkuan, seems to have upset the domestic budget of the common people in the Nainital district just ahead of the New Year.
This is the third price hike done by the NMPCF, lalkuan in less than one year in Nainital. The NMPCF, lalkuan, increased the prices of Aanchal standard milk whose consumption is maximum in the market from Rs34 per litre to Rs36 per litre in February 2014, while the prices of the same essential commodity were raised upto Rs38 per litre in May this year. More so, sudden hike of again Rs2 in the prices of the same Aanchal standard milk this weekend by the NMPCF, lalkuan, making it available now at Rs40 per litre has only added to the burden of the common people.
However, whereas hike of Rs6 per litre in the prices of milk in less than a year time has upset the common people badly here, milk sellers seem to be more than happy getting this hike. Market competition is the major factor that has led the district dairy department to raising the milk prices, said the officials concerned. Since the private milk producers are giving better returns or commission to the mill vendors at the local market so we did not have any option but to raise the milk prices, maintained the officials concerned of the NMPCF, lalkuan.
So the Aanchal standard milk is being sold at Rs 40 per litre, added the officials concerned of the NMPCF, lalkuan. But the people here seem to be quite upset with this. Whereas the Government is trying to control the inflation, hike in prices of milk in Nainital district is a disappointing experience, said Jagdish, a resident of Haldwani. This hike is only to benefit the milk vendors. So the State Government seems little worried about the common man. We demand that the State Government must take a note of it and should take steps to roll back the prices of the milk, he added. Mention worthy, there is consumption of about 70,000 liter milk of only Aanchal brand in the Nainital district per day. Out of this total supply of about 70, 000 liter Aanchal brand milk, the consumption of its Aanchal standard remains maximum i.e. nearly 60,000 litre per day.