Its main task is to monitor the milk distribution chain in the district; it also maintains books of accounts of 900 milk cooperatives. Now, the Pune District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (PDCMPF) has a new task, providing identity cards to 650 milk distributors in the city.

Officials of the federation say that by the end of this year, all the distributors would be provided with identity cards.

The move to issue identity cards has come in the wake of rising incidents of milk adulteration in the city. In the first week of September a decision to issue I-cards to milk distributors was taken during a joint meeting of milk operators, convened by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), attended by private as well as co-operative milk producers in Pune.

Acting on the decision, PDCMPF had immediately started the process of preparing and issuing I-cards.

“We decided to provide identity cards to milk distributors. Because of the Assembly elections and Diwali, the process was somewhat delayed. Still, we are almost through with the task as we have compiled data and photographs of distributors. Eighty per cent of the work is done,” Managing Director of Katraj Dairy Vivek Ksheersagar said.

He said, “There are 900 milk supplying bodies attached to the Federation, while there are 650 distributors in the city. By year end, all distributors would receive I-cards.”

Joint commissioner of FDA, Sanjay Patil said, “During the meeting in September, we issued guidelines to milk operators. Among other things, we had made protein test on milk mandatory before distribution. We had asked them to provide licences and I-cards to milk distributors. We have not followed up the matter, but the milk federation is efficient to take care of those things.”

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