Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid foundation stone for revival of the Chittoor Cooperative Dairy and exchanged MoU with the representatives of Amul Dairy, which would invest Rs 385 crore. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Medical College in Chittoor.

Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister came down on Chandrababu Naidu stating that he had closed it down in August 2002 to develop his family-owned Heritage.

Chittoor Dairy, which was started as a chilling unit, had grown to process 2.5 to 3 lakh liters of milk daily by 1993 but during the ten years between 1992 and 2002, it was systematically pushed into losses by Chandrababu Naidu who started Heritage in 1992, he said.

“The Dairy was closed abruptly leaving lakhs of farmers in the lurch as the management kept pending huge amounts as arrears. The Government repaid the dues of Rs 182 crore and Amul will invest Rs 385 crore for its revival,” he said, adding that it would invest Rs 150 crore in the first phase.

It would provide direct employment to 5000 people and indirect employment to 2 lakh people besides benefiting 20 lakh dairy farmers in Rayalaseema.

“Not only the Chittoor Dairy, Chandrababu sold out several sugar factories and paper mills in cooperative sector and public sector units like Allwyn and Republic Forge to TDP leaders and sycophants like Devender Goud, Nama Nageswara Rao for peanuts or closed them down taking kickbacks for encouraging private units,” he said.

After launching Jagananna Palavelluva in December 2020 in partnership with Amul Dairy, the milk collection rates went up manifold benefiting the dairy farmers, he said adding that it has forced the private dairies to increase the milk collection rates due to competition.