23 April,2026 09:37 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic
The Maharashtra government is planning to deploy artificial intelligence tools, developed in collaboration with leading Indian Institutes of Technology, to tackle adulteration in milk and dairy products, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.
The directive was issued during a meeting with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Chairman Meenesh Shah at the chief minister's official residence.
Fadnavis said that while NDDB has introduced test strips to detect adulterants, the state now requires a more robust and scalable system.
He asked NDDB and IIT institutions to jointly develop an AI-based mechanism that can improve detection, monitoring and enforcement against milk adulteration.
Officials present at the meeting included senior bureaucrats and representatives from the dairy and cooperative sectors.
Highlighting structural challenges, the chief minister noted that only about 40 per cent of milk in Maharashtra is processed through the organised sector, with the rest coming from unregulated channels where adulteration risks are higher.
To address this, the state plans to expand the cooperative dairy network and bring more producers into the formal system. A broader national target aims to connect 75,000 additional villages to cooperative structures, a move expected to improve traceability and reduce malpractice.
Fadnavis said the newly developed test strips can detect substances such as urea and other harmful additives. These are expected to become fully operational within six months, offering a quicker field-level screening tool.
NDDB Chairman Meenesh Shah said the revival of the Mahanand dairy brand is progressing, with around 78 per cent of the work completed. A new greenfield dairy project with a processing capacity of 300,000 litres per day is also underway.
He added that supporting infrastructure, including a modern facility and a signature retail outlet, has been completed, and the relaunch of legacy dairy brands is expected soon.
NDDB is also working on multiple projects across the state, including a compressed biogas plant in Mumbai's Aarey area, a new dairy unit in Udgir, and a modern facility in Nagpur.
Efforts are underway to increase milk procurement across 19 districts in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.
An advanced laboratory for testing milk and dairy products has also been set up under a central government scheme to strengthen quality control and safety standards.
