Chandigarh, March 25 -- In yet another instance of the Centre denying international travel clearance to Punjab's Ministers, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has refused permission to Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian to visit the US for a crucial dairy development initiative.
Khudian, along with Animal Husbandry Principal Secretary Rahul Bhandari and Director Dr GS Bedi, was scheduled to travel to Wisconsin from March 29 to April 6 to visit the laboratory of ABS Global, a leading firm in cattle genetics. The objective of the visit was to finalize an agreement for obtaining sexed semen for Holstein Friesian (HF) cows, which are widely preferred by Punjab's dairy farmers for their high milk yield - up to 81 litres per day.
So...