The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday proposed a Rs 10 milk cess on liquor bottles sold in the state in a bid to fetch Rs 100 crore every year to the state exchequer.

In his Budget speech for the financial year 2023-’24, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the money would be used to alleviate the income of dairy farmers through higher milk production.

Sukhu also announced the launch of the “Him Ganga” scheme with an aim to develop a milk-based economy in Himachal Pradesh.

“Under this scheme, cattle rearers will be provided true cost based milk price and qualitative improvement will be brought in the system of milk procurement, processing and
marketing,” the chief minister said in his speech.

The government has made a Budget allocation of Rs 500 crore to ensure that milk producers are protected from regional and seasonal price fluctuations of their products. Under the scheme, milk processing plants will be set up and the existing plants will be upgraded, Sukhu also said on Friday.

During the previous Bharatiya Janata Party’s tenure in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had levied a cess of Re 1 on sale of liquor bottles for the maintenance of cow shelters, according to The Indian Express.