Chandigarh:- Taking action after the Indian Army rejected the entire consignment of dry milk (milk powder) supplied by Milkfed, the cooperative sector body today suspended the General Manager and Quality Manager of its dairy unit in Ludhiana.
According to the information, General Manager Daljit Singh and Quality Manager Guriqbal Singh have been suspended for alleged serious negligence under Rule 61 of the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Employees Service Rules, 2023. The orders said that serious lapses in quality control of Verka products cause great damage to the credibility of Milkfed.
Milkfed officials were informed on February 12 about the rejection of a consignment of 125 metric tonnes of dry milk powder sent by the Ludhiana District Cooperative Milk Producers Union earlier this year. On the request of Milkfed officials, the sample (753 kg) was re-tested and rejected again on March 16. The sample was rejected due to the alleged presence of some foreign elements in the milk powder. Milkfed officials have claimed that this was a one-time incident and they supply Verka products UHT packed milk, paneer, lassi and flavoured milk worth Rs 100 crore to the Indian Army every year. Milkfed MD Rahul Gupta said, “Our supply is going on and the Army is important to us by purchasing our products. Milkfed conducts inspections at various stages of raw material, processing and finished product to maintain the confidence of its products in the market. The orders said that Daljit Singh and Guriqbal Singh will remain posted at the head office during the suspension. The orders issued by Milkfed MD Rahul Gupta also said that disciplinary action against them is also being considered.