Amit Shah's Bhopal visit to spotlight MP's dairy economy, farmer welfare push

Bhopal: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah's visit to Bhopal will put the spotlight on Madhya Pradesh's dairy and livestock economy, with more than 35,000 cattle rearers and members of dairy cooperative societies expected to attend a state-level Gopalak Conference.

HM Shah, who is scheduled to reach Bhopal around 9 p.m. on October 2 and stay overnight, will participate in a series of programmes covering farmers, livestock rearers, cooperation, the new criminal laws, higher education and road infrastructure.

The Gopalak Conference will be the central event of his visit on October 3, with participants expected from Bhopal and districts, including Sehore, Betul, Rajgarh, Harda, Guna, Ashoknagar, Shajapur, Vidisha, Raisen and Narmadapuram.

The programme comes amid the Madhya Pradesh government's efforts to expand farmer and livestock-related welfare initiatives and strengthen the cooperative network in the agriculture and dairy sectors.

HM Shah is scheduled to distribute bonuses to livestock rearers associated with the Bhopal and Indore milk unions and provide financial assistance to gaushalas.

Gopalak Didis will be honoured, and approval letters under the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Kamdhenu Scheme will also be distributed.

The Union minister is also expected to be briefed on initiatives undertaken during the state's Year of Farmer Welfare and the Balram Agriculture Festival. Presentations will be made by the state Home, Animal Husbandry and Dairy, Cooperation, Public Works and Transport departments, according to a statement from the government.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday reviewed preparations for HM Shah's visit and directed officials to complete arrangements concerning seating, drinking water, sanitation, security and traffic management.

The visit is also expected to underline the government's focus on using cooperative institutions and dairy infrastructure as part of its broader agriculture and rural livelihood programmes.

The dairy sector is likely to get an additional push during the visit, with proposals including a Rs 255-crore dairy plant in Ujjain and a facility for formulated and fermented milk products in Bhopal.

The Bhopal facility, established at a cost of Rs 16.80 crore at the Bhopal Milk Union premises, is aimed at increasing processing capacity for value-added products such as curd, buttermilk, lassi, shrikhand and mawa.

The farmer-focused programme also comes against the backdrop of the expansion of the Farmer ID system in the state.

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