Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of a ₹135-crore unit of Verka milk plant in Amritsar, aimed at enhancing the capacity of sterilised flavoured milk and new fermented dairy products, such as lassi and curd. The CM, who said it would lead to fresh recruitment of 1,200 employees, asserted that the initiative, apart from boosting Milkfed’s production capabilities, would also contribute to the growth of the dairy industry in the region and provide remunerative prices to the dairy farmers associated with Milk Union Amritsar.
Addressing the gathering, the CM said such functions were never witnessed during the previous regimes as those who were at helm were bothered about their family only. “Verka is now being launched on e-commerce platforms. The state government will rope in the ace players from the state to be the brand ambassadors of Verka so that it can spread its wings across the globe. Punjab has pioneered the white revolution in the country,” he said.
He said the state government has drafted new employee service rules for Milkfed employees to ensure that the regular employees are paid salaries at par with government employees, and introduce performance-based incentives.
He exhorted farmers to provide maximum quantity of milk to Verka so that it can expand its base. Mann said Milkfed is in the process of widening its reach across the country and has launched fresh products in Delhi and NCR.