The Institute for Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) will conduct a feasibility study for Oil India Ltd (OIL) to explore the possibility of venturing into dairying in Assam. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard on Wednesday.
OIL had approached IRMA for conducting the study in the districts of Dibrugadh and Tinsukia in Assam. The study is expected to pave the way for a roadmap and a long-term vision plan focusing on the prospects of developing a cooperative dairy development project in these two districts.
The work is expected to stimulate employment and infrastructure supporting the processing, procurement, and marketing of milk in a cost-effective way. It will focus on improving the social, nutritional and economic status of residents in and around OIL operational areas. The feasibility study will focus on quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods of inquiry where secondary data will be collected from various sources. This would help IRMA’s research team to identify dairying as an alternative source of livelihood.
The MoU was signed by IRMA director Prof Jeemol Unni and general manager (administration and public relations) for OIL N R Deka in the presence of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation managing director R S Sodhi.
OIL had earlier announced that it planned to take up the ambitious project ‘Kamdhenu’ to organise the dairy sector in its operational areas. It is essentially a corporate social responsibility project as the north-east India is a milk deficit region.
Source: The Times of India