Bhopal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will have a packed schedule in Madhya Pradesh's capital on Saturday, with the dairy sector, narcotics, and issues pending between the centre and the state government high on the agenda.
Shah will begin the day by attending a Gaupalak (Dairy Farmers) Conference, which is expected to draw around 35,000 dairy and livestock farmers from various parts of central and northern Madhya Pradesh.
Gopalak Didis (sisters) will be honoured, while approval letters under the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Kamdhenu Scheme will also be distributed. Shah is also expected to be briefed on initiatives undertaken during the state’s Year of Farmer Welfare and the Balram Agriculture Festival.
He will virtually perform the digital Bhoomi Pujan of a modern dairy plant to be established in Ujjain at a cost of Rs 255 crore.
At the BHEL Dussehra Ground, Shah will inaugurate a state-level exhibition on the new criminal laws.
A key component of the visit will be a meeting chaired by Shah to discuss issues pending between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Madhya Pradesh government. He is also scheduled to brief journalists on issues related to narcotics later in the day.
Ahead of Shah’s visit, the opposition Congress raised several issues and sought answers from the Union minister.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari questioned the decline in the state’s dairy cooperative network and sought details of the government’s efforts to strengthen the 'Sanchi' dairy system.
Patwari claimed that the number of dairy cooperative societies had declined from 7,811 in 2019-20 to 5,502 in 2024-25, while membership fell from 2.68 lakh to around 2.09 lakh.
“Who is responsible for this decline, and what is the present situation?” Patwari asked in a statement issued to the media on Friday.
He also questioned the target of increasing daily milk procurement from 10.50 lakh kg to 20 lakh kg and sought details of progress since the state signed an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 2025.
Patwari said the government should focus on increasing farmers’ income rather than merely creating dairy infrastructure. He also questioned regional differences in milk prices and sought transparency over the difference between the price paid by consumers and the amount received by farmers.
Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar also raised a series of questions for the Union Home Minister. His questions covered the deaths of more than 30 tribal children in recent months due to infectious and related diseases in Balaghat district, the recent hooch tragedy in Sagar, the deaths of children due to cough syrup poisoning last year in Chhindwara, and deaths of residents of Indore’s Bhagirathpura following contaminated water supply in December-January.
Singhar also raised issues concerning families displaced by the Ken-Betwa River Link project.