Shimla, Jul 11 (IANS):The Himachal Pradesh government has allocated Rs 201 crore for the construction of a state-of-the-art milk processing plant in Kangra in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday.

He said the plant in Kangra's Dhagwar will have an initial capacity of 1.50 lakh litres per day (LLPD) which could be further expanded up to three LLPD. "This fully automatic plant aims to produce a variety of dairy products such as curd, lassi, butter, ghee, paneer, flavoured milk, khoya and mozzarella cheese," he said in a statement.

According to the statement, the project is expected to enhance the economic prosperity of farmers in Kangra, Hamirpur, Chamba and Una districts.

The CM added the project would benefit the dairy farming community and contribute to the state's economy. "As the project unfolds, it is poised to bring prosperity to the dairy farming community and ensure that farmers get good value for their hard work," he said.

CM Sukhu said the initiative aligns with the government's commitment to farmer welfare. "Once the milk processing plant begins operations, the government also plans to start production of milk powder, ice cream and various types of cheese at this plant," he added.