ROURKELA: Vedvyas Goshala Samiti (VGS) is all set to introduce a mechanised milk vending project in the city as a safeguard against Covid-19 and to tide over manpower shortage.
VGS president Binod Agarwal Baltiwala said the organisation has procured two bulk milk chiller tankers, as many e-rickshaw mounted milk dispensing ATMs and packaging machines at a cost of around Rs 10 lakh.
He said the new machines would start functioning in the next 10 days. An electronic counter would be set up and members and customers issued cards to procure milk from the ATMs installed in the e-rickshaws. The mobile units would visit half a dozen locations in the town twice daily.
The mechanisation would significantly curb physical handling of milk during delivery to ensure maximum safeguard against Covid-19 and simultaneously address manpower hurdles affecting milk supply.
At present, buyers collect milk from the Goshala and a few other delivery points. VGS has 90 milch cows that produce 550-600 litre milk daily. For its mechanised project, Haryana Nagarik Sangh has contributed Rs 7 lakh, while member Ramesh Agarwal mobilized Rs 3 lakh.
For five decades the members of VGS with the help of Rourkela residents are serving abandoned and rescued cows. The organisation looks after around 500 ailing or unproductive cows and envisages to blend service with technology to minimise physical handling in milk delivery.
It spends Rs 15-18 lakh on the task and 80 per cent of the cost comes from donation and the rest from milk vending.