IAS Ankit Asthana belongs to the 2014 batch of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and is currently posted as collector of Morena district, MP

Regarding his vision for Morena, Ankit’s dream project focuses on establishing a dairy business to economically and socially empower women, control milk quality, and generate employment for the residents. "Our larger objective is to combat the infamy associated with milk adulteration by establishing a local brand managed entirely by women, ensuring adherence to quality standards while providing nutritional and livelihood security to the local population," he explains.

Ankit’s approach is a classic example of ‘Ek teer se do Nishana’ (hitting multiple targets with a single arrow), as his initiative addresses not just one issue but several challenges simultaneously. Morena is already recognized for being an advanced region in the field of animal husbandry and milk production with over 100,000 livestock farmers producing approximately 400,000 liters of milk daily.

Under Ankit’s leadership a company by the name of Alopi Milk Producer Company has been established by organizing livestock farming groups from Kailaras, Pahargarh, and Sabalgarh in Morena district “What we've aimed to do is bring together women from self-help groups, to strengthen their efforts collectively" he further explained “Alopi Company has partnered with VRS Food, and in the first phase, 25,000 liters of milk will be collected and supplied daily, followed by 50,000 liters in the next phase, and then 100,000 liters”

In this venture, primary markets will be made available for 16000 group members with contracts ensuring a rate of ₹ 2.17 higher than the Sanchi base price. "An advance purchase agreement is already in place for this fiscal year, and we aim to boost production next year," he adds.

The current work has begun in Kailaras, with plans to expand into other development blocks in the future. To ensure the success of this initiative, various efforts are underway, like setting up Bulk Milk Coolers, animal health camps, and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) camps aimed to enhance milk production. Looking ahead, the Alopi (FPO) plans to deploy 45 vehicles for transportation and increase members' earnings from ₹40-₹50 per liter to ₹60-₹65. Additionally, the Livelihood Mission with this aims to transform around 30,000 members into millionaires through the profits generated by the dairy business.