Army Rejects Verka Milk Powder: Punjab Faces Backlash

The Indian Army has refused to accept a consignment of whole milk powder from Punjab's Milkfed, a state-run dairy cooperative known for its Verka brand, due to quality concerns. This development has triggered a political firestorm across the region, with questions raised about the cooperative's adherence to quality standards.

Milkfed Managing Director Rahul Gupta announced the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the reasons behind the rejection. He insisted that Milkfed prioritizes quality, with products routinely tested at a laboratory approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) before being offered to the Army.

The incident has provided ammunition for the opposition to attack the ruling AAP government. Critics like Shiromani Akali Dal's Bikram Singh Majithia and Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa have lambasted the government for the perceived failure, suggesting it denotes a lack of accountability and poses a public health risk due to the continued sale of these products to the public.