New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused the Congress of failing to establish a separate Ministry of Cooperation during its decades in power and questioned its record on the welfare of cattle farmers and development of the dairy sector. Addressing a state-level conference of cattle rearers (Gopalak Sammelan) after inaugurating an exhibition on the new criminal laws at Dussehra Ground here, Shah said people associated with agriculture, rural development and cooperatives had sought a dedicated ministry for 75 years, but Congress-led governments did not establish one.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi created the Ministry of Cooperation after assuming office, giving a new direction to the cooperative sector, Shah said. He said the large turnout of cattle rearers was a positive sign for "White Revolution 2.0" in Madhya Pradesh. Targeting the Congress over milk production, he said output had risen from 14.6 crore tonnes during the 75 years after Independence to 25 crore tonnes in the last 10 years under Modi's leadership.
He said per capita milk availability had increased from 307 grams per day in 2013-14 to 485 grams, while India had become the world's largest milk producer. Shah also accused the Congress of spreading "negativity", claiming that the Modi government had raised India's standing across sectors. He said modern technology was being used to improve cattle breeds and prevent diseases. During the programme, Shah, in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, laid the foundation stone for a Rs 255-crore milk processing plant in Ujjain with a capacity of three lakh litres per day. A Rs 17-crore unit at the Bhopal Milk Union was also inaugurated.
An MoU for urban forest development was exchanged between KRIBHCO and the Madhya Pradesh State Biodiversity Board. Under the agreement, an urban forest will be developed in Bhopal as part of the Morvan Project. Earlier, CM Yadav said the state was moving towards a new "White Revolution", with the government aiming to raise milk collection to 50 lakh litres a day by expanding dairy cooperatives. He said Madhya Pradesh had become the country's third-largest milk-producing state. He announced the induction of 168 new cow ambulances and competitions for cattle rearers across all 313 blocks, with cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000. Meanwhile, speaking about the new criminal laws, Shah said their full implementation would enable cases to be disposed of within three years, from the filing of an FIR to the Supreme Court. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam came into force on July 1, 2024. Referring to the earlier judicial system's reputation for delays, Shah said the new laws incorporated science and technology into forensic investigations and included provisions concerning women's safety, mob lynching, missing children and terrorism.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.