If you have dreamed of running your own dairy but a shortage of capital keeps holding you back, the Uttar Pradesh government's Mini Nandini Krishak Samriddhi Yojana could open the door. The scheme offers substantial financial help to set up a small dairy unit of 10 desi cows. The catch is that the support comes only if you build your dairy around indigenous breeds, namely Sahiwal, Gir or Tharparkar. Run under the Nand Baba Dugdh Mission, the scheme pegs the total cost of a 10-cow unit at ₹23.60 lakh.
Of that total, the government will pay 50 percent, up to a maximum of ₹11.80 lakh, as a subsidy. Put simply, half the money is the government's and the other half is yours.
Money Worries Covered by a Loan
If you cannot arrange your full share, there is no need to panic. Out of the remaining half, 35 percent can be borrowed as a bank loan, which means you only have to organise 15 percent of the cost from your own pocket. The cow you buy for the dairy must have calved for the first or second time, and no more than 45 days should have passed since it gave birth. On top of that, an ear tag and insurance for every cow are mandatory.
Who Can Apply
To claim the benefit, a few conditions must be met.
- Experience: The applicant must have at least 3 years of experience in rearing cows or buffaloes, and this experience has to be verified by the Chief Veterinary Officer.
- Land: You need at least 0.20 acre for the dairy infrastructure and 0.80 acre to grow green fodder. The land can be your own, ancestral, or held on a 7-year registered lease, and it must not be prone to waterlogging.
Who Will Not Get the Benefit
If you have already availed yourself of the government's Kamdhenu Yojana, the Mini or Micro Kamdhenu Yojana, the Nandini Krishak Samriddhi Yojana under the Nand Baba Dugdh Mission, or the Mukhyamantri Swadeshi Gau-Samvardhan Yojana, you will not be eligible for this scheme.
How to Apply
The application process is meant to be online. But until the official online portal is fully up and running, the offline route stays open as well. For that, you will have to submit your form at the office of your district's Chief Development Officer (CDO) or the Chief Veterinary Officer, either in person or by registered post. If applications exceed the target number, beneficiaries will be picked through an E-Lottery.
Subsidy in Two Instalments
The subsidy will be released in two simple stages. The first instalment arrives once the dairy's basic infrastructure, such as the shed, is ready, and 25 percent of the grant is issued at this point. After the cows are purchased, the remaining 25 percent is handed to the beneficiary. To keep corruption in check, the government will send the entire subsidy amount straight to the beneficiary's Aadhaar-linked bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
