Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the mega dairy, established at a cost of Rs 260.9 crore, by Mandya Milk Union Limited (Manmul), at Gejjalagere, Maddur taluk, Mandya district, on Friday. The mega dairy has been established on a five-acre land.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Adichunchanagir seer Nirmalanandanatha swamiji, BJP leaders Prahlad Joshi, K Gopalaiah, S T Somashekar, K C Narayana Gowda, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, MLA C S Puttaraju and others took part in the programme.
Home Minister Amit Shah reached the helipad at Malligepura by a special chopper and travelled to Gejjalagere via road.
Despite the demise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, the programme was held as scheduled, as directed by the PM.
Gejjalagere had turned into a police fortress in the wake of Amit Shah’s visit, with around 800 personnel deputed on duty, as a precautionary measure.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the mega dairy would benefit one lakh dairy farmers, including women. After the green revolution, the state is set for a white revolution. Manmul mega dairy is the second largest in the state, empowering thousands of farmers, he said.
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda who spoke on the occasion drew the attention of the Home Minister on the irregularities reported from the cooperative sector.
"If you understand Mandya, it is like understanding India," said Adichunchanagiri seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami. Farmers are the strength of the country. Around 65 per cent of the people in the country are farmers. The mega dairy will produce around 11 by-products of milk, which help to empower the dairy farmers.
Addressing the crowd, Amit Shah said, "If the demand for a separate cooperative ministry was considered years ago, the status of the dairy farmers would have been totally different now. Injustice to the cooperative sector workers will not be allowed. The mega dairy which has the capacity to process 10 lakh litres per day will be increased to 14 lakh litres in future. The dairy industry which was producing 66,000 kilos of milk in 1975 has increased to 82 lakh kilos in 2022. The annual turnover, which was 4,000 crore has increased to 25 lakh crore now. Around 80 per cent of the turnover is distributed among dairy farmers."