New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS): Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Parshottam Rupala on Wednesday launched the Rs 29,610 crore realigned Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) Scheme.

The minister said that the scheme which was started during the Covid period has been realigned and will be implemented for another 3 years.

The industry, farmers producers organisations (FPOs) and dairy cooperatives would benefit from the scheme as as the outlay has been doubled from Rs 15,000 crore earlier to Rs 29,610 crore.

The Union Cabinet in its meeting on February 1 approved the realignment of the AHIDF under Infrastructure Development Fund with an outlay of Rs 29,610 crore which is nearly double the Rs 15,000 crore allocated under Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund which has been subsumed in the scheme.

Dairy Cooperatives will now avail benefit of interest subvention of 3 per cent under AHIDF instead of 2.5 per cent which was received in DIDF.

The Dairy Cooperative will also get Credit Guarantee support under the Credit Guarantee Fund of AHIDF.

The scheme will help the Dairy Cooperatives to upgrade their processing infrastructure with an updated processing technology. This will benefit a large number of milk producers in the country, the minister said.

Industry associations, NDDB, Dairy Cooperatives, FPO and Officials from the northeastern states were present at the inaugural event on Wednesday.

During the interaction, ABIS Export Private Limited, one of the eligible entities, appreciated the role of the scheme in creating infrastructure in livestock sector and said that they will invest Rs 2,000 crore in creating infrastructure.

The highlights of the scheme are:

*Credit guarantee cover up to 25% of the term loan.

*No ceiling on the loan amount

*Loan up to 90% of the estimated/actual project cost

* Dovetailing with capital subsidy schemes of other ministries or state level schemes

* Ease of application process through online portal www.ahidf.udaymimitra.in.