Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 12. The Punjab Government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to bail out debt-ridden farmers by promoting subsidiary occupations. Under such initiative, Rs 3 crore would be spent on setting up of state-of-the-art Dairy Training Centre at Rauni village in Patiala district.
These training centres would subsequently be set up in remaining districts of the state. Similarly, in order to bring back the White Revolution, the Punjab Government has decided to sensitise the milk producers about new techniques in milk production through milk production camps.
Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development, disclosed this here today.
He said the Punjab Government had decided to subsidise marginal and small farmers to set up units for the production of milk products, purchase of milch cattle and for rearing calves.
Ranike said 25 per cent subsidy would be given to general category and 33.33 per cent subsidy to the farmers belonging to SC categories. He said in the previous year, Rs.9 crore was disbursed under this scheme, whereas the subsidy in the current year has been increased to Rs 20 crore.
Punjab was among the 14 states chosen for National Dairy Plan Programme by the Government of India. He said under the programme, efforts would be initiated for improving the cattle breed, striking feed balancing and increasing milk-processing capacity.
