Verka milk powder row: Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Ltd (Milkfed) on Friday suspended two senior officials of its Ludhiana unit after a consignment of Verka whole milk powder was rejected by the Army. Daljit Singh, General Manager, and Guriqbal Singh, Manager (Quality), of the Ludhiana District Cooperative Milk Producers Union have suspended for alleged grave misconduct under Rule 61 of the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Employees Service Rules, 2023.

Both officials will remain stationed at the head office. Disciplinary proceedings against them are also under consideration.

PTC Vichar Taqrar Impact

The issue gained attention after it was highlighted in debate show of PTC News ' Vichar Taqrar'. 

Milkfed has maintained that it will take corrective steps based on the findings of the internal inquiry to prevent any recurrence and safeguard the reputation of its flagship Verka brand.

At least 125 metric tonne of whole milk powder supplied by Milkfed was rejected by an Army unit in Jammu. The consignment was dispatched in two batches earlier this year. However, it failed to meet prescribed standards during testing conducted by the Food Inspection Organisation under the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence.

A 753-kg sample drawn from the consignment was tested twice. Both tests reportedly found the product “non-compliant”. It showed the presence of extraneous substances in the milk powder. The rejection was formally communicated to Milkfed in February, with a subsequent confirmation after re-testing in March.

Milkfed orders probe

Milkfed Managing Director Rahul Gupta has described the episode an isolated case. He said they were setting up a fact-finding committee to ascertain the reasons behind the rejection. Further testing of the batch concerned would also be carried out at an independent facility to validate findings.