Highest milk producer to get ‘Gopal’ award from this year: Goa CM

PONDA: In a bid to increase milk production in Goa, the government has decided to confer the ‘Gopal Award’ on the highest milk producer in the state.
Speaking at the milk producers’ meet organised by Goa Dairy under the Union government’s National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) at Ponda on Monday, chief minister Pramod Sawant said, “This scheme was framed during former chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s term, but could not be implemented. I will implement it from this year onwards.”
The award will consist of Rs 1 lakh and a citation. The first ‘Gopal Award’ will be conferred on December 19, Sawant said.
Referring to the imbroglio within Goa Dairy, on account of which an administrator had to be appointed, the chief minister appealed to the members of the dairy to elected “good directors for better administration”. Presently, Vilas Naik is the administrator and is runs the affairs of the dairy.
The dairy has 165 village-level milk collection societies attached to it, which elect 12 members on the dairy board of directors.
Cooperation minister Govind Gaude highlighted the schemes and efforts being taken by the cooperation department to raise the milk production in the state.
In an attempt to enhance cleanliness in the milk collection process, Goa Dairy distributed steel cans to farmers at the hands of the chief minister. Six male and six female milk farmers and some village-level milk collection societies were felicitated for highest quantity of milk supplied.
“Only 10 farmers have been provided steel cans, while the other farmers would get cans through their respective milk societies. Goa Dairy has 8,650 farmers supplying milk to it,” said Naik.