Women in Bastar Division Becoming Self-Reliant Through Dairy Entrepreneurship

24 women provided with 36 milch animals
Each beneficiary earning about ₹13,000 per month
Pilot project implemented in Kondagaon and Kanker districts
Milk producers receive subsidy and bank loans

Raipur, December 2025 : Women in the Bastar division are becoming self-reliant through dairy entrepreneurship. To increase income through employment and self-employment, dairy activities are being promoted across the Bastar division. Under a pilot project being implemented through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), dairy-based livelihoods are being developed in Kanker and Kondagaon districts by linking tribal women with the dairy sector. Notably, the scheme was inaugurated by Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai on June 1, 2025, from Bhongapal village in Kondagaon district.

Against a target of providing milch animals to 125 beneficiaries in Kondagaon and Kanker districts through loans and subsidies, bank loan approvals have so far been granted to 47 women applicants. Of these, 24 women have already been distributed a total of 36 milch animals. To ensure the supply of high-quality milch cattle, NDDB Dairy Services has identified Sahiwal breed cows—capable of producing 8 to 10 litres of milk per day—from Rajasthan and Punjab, which are being distributed to Scheduled Tribe women.

At present, through 95 functional milk cooperatives in the Bastar division, milk is being collected daily from 4,006 milk producers, amounting to 15,060 litres per day. Of this, around 8,000 litres of milk per day is being marketed in the districts of Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur, and Narayanpur.

To promote cooperatives in the Bastar division, 400 new villages will be linked to milk cooperatives over the next five years. This initiative will connect approximately 9,000 new milk producers and increase milk collection to 48,000 litres per day. In addition, milk chilling centres with a total capacity of 28,000 litres and a new milk processing plant with a capacity of 1 lakh litres will be established in Bastar district.

This scheme is being implemented with the support of NDDB Dairy Services, a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Under the scheme, for the cost of two milch animals amounting to ₹1.40 lakh, the state government provides a 50 percent subsidy of ₹70,000. The remaining 40 percent is provided as a bank loan, while the beneficiary contributes 10 percent of the cost.

To facilitate easy access to loans for Scheduled Tribe women farmers, the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Milk Federation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chhattisgarh Rajya Gramin Bank (CRGB), which provides loans at concessional interest rates for a period of four years. Loan instalments are deducted directly from the beneficiaries’ milk bills by the Milk Federation and deposited with the bank.

Additionally, under the scheme, beneficiaries are provided free support for one year, which includes cow insurance (for one year), animal health monitoring equipment, 5 kg of silage fodder, 2 kg of cattle feed, and 50 grams of mineral mixture per animal per day. Beneficiaries are trained in scientific animal management practices both before and after the distribution of animals. Veterinary services related to animal breeding and health are also being provided by the Animal Husbandry Department.

After the establishment of dairy units, surplus milk—after household consumption—is procured from Scheduled Tribe women beneficiaries by the Milk Federation at predetermined rates. To simplify milk collection, new milk cooperatives have been formed and milk collection routes have been developed by the Federation. On average, a Scheduled Tribe woman beneficiary supplies around 12 litres of milk per day to the milk cooperative, earning approximately ₹13,000 per month. This initiative has proven instrumental in enhancing livelihoods, improving nutrition, and promoting self-reliance among Scheduled Tribe women farmers and their families.