Govt to hold meeting of milk unions over price hike

Reuters File Photo.

The State government would call a meeting of the chairpersons and managing directors of all the milk unions next week for discussing the proposal of Karnataka Milk Federation to hike milk prices.

Animal Husbandry Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters here on Wednesday that the KMF had put forth a Rs 279-crore proposal to create infrastructure facilities. The minister indicated that the Federation was seeking hike in milk prices to offset the proposed expenditure.

“The KMF has discussed the hike in the milk prices internally. But a proposal for the infrastructure expansion has been brought before us. As a result, we will call a meeting of all milk unions’ chairpersons and MDs to review their proposal, if any,” he said. The minister disclosed that the KMF had brought a Rs 160-crore proposal for packing milk in flexi packs to be supplied to schoolchildren under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme. The Federation has also sought Rs 60 crore to expand the Channarayapatna milk powder plant.

Jayachandra said that there was a disparity in the milk prices in the southern States and the prices were the lowest in Karnataka. “While Andhra Pradesh is supplying milk at Rs 36 per litre, Tamil Nadu is selling it at Rs 38. We are supplying milk at Rs 29 and Rs 30 per litre,” he added. ST tag sought for Kadu, Adi Gollas
The State has written to the Centre to add Kadu Golla and Adi Golla communities to the list of Scheduled Tribes, Law Minister T B Jayachandra said. The two communities lacked the criteria to be directly added under the list, and hence requires the Centre's consent, he added. Along with this proposal, the government has also dispatched a proposal to convert 1,224 hamlets into revenue villages, Jayachandra said.