Ludhiana, April 7
On the directions of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann the Punjab government is all set to give a major facelift to the Verka Ludhiana Dairy for further modernization, quality assurance and continuous strengthening of the cooperative dairy sector in the state.
In consonance with the vision of the Chief Minister, Secretary (Cooperation), Ajit Balaji Joshi and Managing Director Milked Rahul Gupta on Tuesday visited the Dairy along with officers of Milkfed to review its modernization. Both the officers reviewed the existing production, filling and packaging infrastructure apart from assessing the modernization requirements. The officers especially inspected the filling and packaging process of Whole Milk Powder during which it was observed that the existing set-up, which is very old , has become outdated in view of present-day end-to-end automated dairy processing and packaging practices.
Accordingly, both the officers underscored the need to revamp the existing facilities and move towards fully automated operations. It was also emphasized that in the pattern of other leading cooperative dairy federations such as Karnataka Milk Federation (Nandini) and Warna Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited, the Punjab Milkfed should also adopt end-to-end automation for the filling and packaging of Whole Milk Powder. Accordingly, it was decided that a team of officers from Verka Ludhiana Dairy, Milked Head Office Punjab and NDB shall visit these federations to study the fully automated systems in operation.
The Secretary (Cooperation) said that based on the technical evaluation, the Milkfed shall undertake end-to-end automation of the Whole Milk Powder filling and packaging process at Verka Ludhiana Dairy within the next three months. It was also decided that in every step of processing and packaging, the intervention of AI and IT like installation of CCTV, QR Enabled dynamic sealing system, RFID, IRIS shall be ensured to be put in place shortly. The officers said that in alignment with the Government’s mandate, prioritizing quality assurance and operational competitiveness remains central to cementing Milked position as a market leader. Thereafter, the Secretary also visited Verka Mega Dairy Bassi Pathana and Cattle Feed Plant Khanna.
