Union Agriculture Minister is sleeping on requests of dairy-giants for transfer of DMS to them?
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL
It refers to shocking RTI-revelations from Union government-owned Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) where its booth-holders continue to operate despite huge DMS outstanding against them. Surprisingly DMS has provided data of monthly booth-sale only till the month of March 2012 revealing booth-holders providing a combined sale of just rupees 82 lakhs per month against a huge outstanding of more than rupees 23 crores against them with no signs of recovery or steps taken to abandon such booths with non-recoverable outstanding. Partial RTI-response revealed only after CIC-directions also reveals that renowned co-operative giants like ‘Amul’ and ‘Sudha’ have requested Union Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries) to hand over the loss-making DMS to them.
Thousands of DMS-booths scattered throughout the capital city of India are being grossly misused as private shops by the licensees in corrupt partnership of DMS-personnel for corrupt authorisation to sell products other than from DMS. It is to be noted that “Mother Dairy” booths in Delhi-NCR sell only ‘Mother Dairy’ products, a big reason for success of ‘Mother Dairy’. Mere existence of ‘Delhi Milk Scheme’ after launch of much bigger ‘Mother Dairy’ by Union government for Delhi-NCR was in itself wastage of public-resources also through double-spent on overheads.
It is a sorry state of affairs that Union Agriculture Minister is not taking any decision on long-pending requests of ‘Amul’ and ‘Sudha’ to transfer ‘Delhi Milk Scheme’ for best utilisation of DMS resources for public-good. ‘Delhi Milk Scheme’ should be immediately merged with ‘Mother Dairy’ in current fiscal-year of 2013-14 only if Union Agriculture Ministry does not find it feasible to transfer DMS to ‘Amul’ or ‘Sudha’. Union Agriculture Minister should be held liable for such recurring public-loss due to deliberate deferring decision in this regard thus aiding highly corrupt practices at DMS.
RTI Documents: DELHI MILK SCHEME
