In a groundbreaking move, hundreds of thousands of dairy farmers in Gujarat are set to receive an incentive of Rs 1 per litre for casting their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. According to a report by TOI, farmers will need to display the indelible ink mark on their index fingers to claim the incentive.
To boost voter turnout on May 7, when polling for 25 out of 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will occur during the third phase of the general elections, the indigenous dairy giant Amul has introduced this policy. The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), representing 36 lakh registered dairy farmers across the state, has taken the decision to provide this incentive.Valamji Humbal, Vice Chairman of GCMMF, stated to TOI that the federation’s board members have unanimously agreed to offer the incentive to all registered dairy farmers in the state. Most of these farmers, predominantly women, are associated with 18,565 village dairy co-operative societies, collectively pouring around 3 crore litres of milk daily.In an effort to raise awareness among voters in urban Gujarat, India’s largest FMCG brand has already commenced printing the slogan ‘Chunav Ka Parv, Desh Ka Garv’ (Festival of Elections, Pride of the Nation) on milk pouches distributed to consumers daily.Humbal, who also heads Sarhad Dairy based in Kutch, mentioned, “Traditionally, we have been encouraging voting through messages printed on our milk pouches. It is an exercise that we have been carrying out ahead of all the elections. But this time, we have decided to encourage voting. It is for the first time that we are providing such incentive.”
He further added that a directive regarding the decision has been circulated to all member unions. The incentive, to be deposited directly into the accounts of milk pourers, will be calculated based on the quantity of milk they supply to village-level milk societies.
“For instance, a dairy farmer who pours a litre of milk will earn Rs 1 more. A dairy farmer who pours 20 litres will earn Rs 20 more, which will be deposited in his or her account apart from the milk procurement price that is paid to them,” explained Humbal.
Reports indicate that the impact of this decision will be particularly significant in the milk shed areas of major dairies in Gujarat, including Banaskantha’s Banas Dairy, Sabarkantha’s Sabar Dairy, Mehsana’s Doodhsagar Dairy, and Anand’s Amul Dairy.
