In a move that will facilitate the takeover of the state-run Mahanand Dairy by the Gujarat-based National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the 18-member board of directors of Mahanand Dairy resigned on Wednesday.
The move comes after the board of directors of Mahanand Dairy, a once-profitable venture, had in January sanctioned a resolution to transfer the dairy’s control to NDDB.
A venture of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Milk Federation Ltd, Mahanand Dairy incurred losses in the recent past and has been unable to pay the salaries and dues of over 500 employees, who opted for voluntary retirement.
The 13th meeting of the board of directors of Mahanand Dairy and the Maharashtra State Cooperative Milk Federation Ltd was held on February 20 when the 18 directors tendered their resignations as mandated by NDDB for taking over the dairy.
According to Mahananda Dairy officials, the detailed DPR prepared and submitted by NDDB to the state government and the dairy suggested dissolution of the board and a soft loan of Rs Rs 253.57 crore from the state government. Accordingly during the meeting, a decision was taken by the board of directors of Mahananda Dairy to send a proposal to the state government to provide a financial aid of Rs 253.57 crore as soft loan or share capital. The fund will be utilised through NDDB to revive Mahananda.
The state government will now take the decision on the proposal of handling over the Mahananda Dairy to NDDB in the cabinet meeting.
However,During the meeting, Manikrao Kokate, the MLA and Director of Mahananda director conveyed to the board of directors that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with both the Deputy Chief Ministers and Dairy Development Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil have responded positively to this transfer process.
Opposition leaders, however, panned the move stating that the control of the dairy would now be done through Gujarat. “Mahanand Dairy will now be run from Gujarat. The Shinde government is not even able to run a dairy in the state,” Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said. He alleged the state government was planning to divest a lucrative 50-acre plot of land in Goregaon belonging to the dairy to private operators.
Opposition leader in the state Assembly Vijay Waddetiwar also slammed the Shinde government. “Finally, the Shinde government has done it. The entire management of Mahanand Dairy has been shifted to Gujarat. What the Gujarat government could not achieve in Maharashtra during the MVA government’s tenure is being achieved during the Shinde government’s tenure. Finally, Shinde is repaying the favour of the financial strength received from Gujarat to get him the post of chief minister,” he said.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, however, refuted the allegations stating that the opposition is unnecessarily politicising the issue. “The opposition has alleged that Mahanand is being handed over to NDDB, based at Anand in Gujarat. It is absolutely false,” he said.
