Over 27,000 milk producers have benefited from a dairy development programme initiated to provide financial stability to farmers in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, an official said.

The project, launched by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) last year, covers 3,023 villages spread across 11 districts falling under the two backward regions.

As many as 27,326 milk producers have got Rs 168.43 crore directly into their bank accounts till May this year as part of the programme, the government official told PTI.

The project's objective is to provide financial stability to farmers, generate self-employment in the dairy sector and boost milk production through scientific breeding activities, like increasing the number of milch animals by improving their feeding and health care facilities, he said.

"A sum of Rs 6.5 crore is being deposited directly into the accounts of milk producers every 10 days," he said.

The districts of Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Chandrapur, Buldhana, Akola and Yavatmal in Vidarbha and Nanded, Osmanabad, Latur and Jalna in Marathwada are covered under the project, he said.

About 2,09,913 litres of milk is collected every day from the two regions, including 70,017 litres from Marathwada, the official said.

As part of the project, the NDDB's Mother Dairy brand has opened milk distribution outlets at 32 places in Nagpur city. These outlets will be run by retired defence personnel, he said.

Commissioned in 1974 and established under the initiative of 'Operation Flood', Mother Dairy is a whollyowned subsidiary of the NDDB.