Mandi, Feb 22 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday laid the foundation stone of Tertiary Cancer Care Centre at Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College at Ner Chowk near Mandi worth Rs 45 crore.

"The state has initiated various innovative and ambitious schemes to double the income of farming community by 2022 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rearing of milch animals could play important role in it," said the Chief Minister.

He also laid the stone of 50,000 litre per capacity milk processing plant of MILKFED at Chakkar in Balh Vidhan Sabha area of Mandi district to be constructed with an outlay of Rs 16.31 crore.

Thakur said Milkfed has a capacity of collecting milk upto 1 lakh liter which needed to be increased.

He said in the developed country the base of the rural economy was animal husbandry and the farmers by going for best breed of cows could increase their income manifold.

Thakur appreciated the efforts of Milkfed in diversifying its activities as this would not only ensure increase in its revenue but also help the farmers offering them more effective services.

He said the state government was also promoting indigenous breed of cattle so that the farmers could get high milk producing cows and promoting natural farming so that people could be motivated to rear cattle.

He said the state government has also constituted a Gau Sanrakshan Boarding in the state, besides several cow sanctuaries were being opened in different parts of the state.