Former minister Babu Bokhiria's family members and his associates are beneficiaries of the deal between Porbandar Milk Producers Union and Kamdhenu Enterprise, Gujarat Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia alleged on Friday.
Bokhiria, when he was minister of agriculture and cooperatives in the state, engineered a deal between Porbandar Milk Producers Union and Kamdhenu Enterprise, both dominated by relatives and associates of Bokhiria, with utter disregard to relevant laws and undermining cooperative framework in dairy sector, said Modhwadia. However, Bokhiria denied allegations and said that none of his family members are beneficiaries of the deal.
Under Amul Model, district unions procure milk from local farmers and process it to produce pasteurized milk and milk products. These are then marketed by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). However, Porbandar union, instead of setting up a processing plant on its own, made a deal with a private company, Kamdhenu Enterprise, to process milk. It loaned Rs 12 crore, belonging to local farmers, to Kamdhenu and become a guarantor of Rs 24 crore loan to Kamdhenu to set up the processing unit.
Ex-minister Babu Bokhiria, who denied the allegations, said: “I had started Sudama dairy for the benefit of local cattle rearers. Even now Porbandar Milk Union is the fastest growing union in the state. No way we are getting any benefits.”