Bareilly: Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Rural Engineering Services Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Nodal Officer for Bareilly district, Saurabh Babu, conducted a field inspection of the Srijani Milk Producer Company in Faridpur Tehsil under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
During the visit, the Principal Secretary reviewed dairy operations, milk collection systems, and processing arrangements. He assessed the company’s functioning and interacted with officials to understand various aspects of the dairy value chain.
As part of the inspection, he also visited a milk cooling point established by the company in Basawanpur village. He examined the dairy equipment installed at the facility and reviewed the milk collection and storage arrangements. Interacting with women farmers and livestock owners associated with the dairy initiative, he sought feedback on the income generated through dairy farming.
The women farmers informed him that the company ensures timely payment for milk supplied, which has significantly strengthened their financial condition and helped them move towards self-reliance.
Encouraging the farmers to expand their dairy activities, Saurabh Babu advised them to increase livestock holdings and avail themselves of animal husbandry loans to grow their businesses. Appreciating the efforts of women engaged in dairy farming, he said that their active participation is giving a new direction to the rural dairy sector. He also praised their contribution to daily milk collection and business expansion.
Officials informed the Principal Secretary that Srijani Milk Producer Company Limited is currently operating across eight districts. Through its network of nine milk chilling centres, the company collects approximately 230,000 litres of milk daily from 63,445 women farmers, which is then transported to processing and packaging facilities.
Lauding the organisation’s role in promoting women’s empowerment and livelihood enhancement, the Principal Secretary emphasized the need for further efforts to make rural women economically self-sufficient through the National Rural Livelihood Mission. He directed officials to provide technical training to women associated with the company to improve milk quality, productivity, and income generation.
Highlighting the importance of economic independence for rural women, he said that such institutions form the backbone of the rural economy and play a vital role in improving the socio-economic status of women.
Later, the Nodal Officer chaired a review meeting at the auditorium of the Development Bhawan to assess the progress of various schemes being implemented by the Rural Development Department. He conducted a block-wise review of performance against prescribed parameters and instructed officials to ensure timely achievement of targets.
He also directed departments to intensify awareness campaigns regarding government welfare schemes and identify eligible beneficiaries so that they can avail themselves of the benefits without delay.
The meeting was attended by Chief Development Officer Devyani, District Development Officer Dinesh Kumar, DC MGNREGA Haseeb Ansari, Project Director DRDA, Chief Executive Officer Lakhwinder Singh, Block Development Officers, district and block-level mission management officials, and other departmental representatives.
Report: Akhilesh Chandra Saxena, Bareilly.
