Kurien was also the brains behind ‘Operation Flood,’ which led dairy farming to become largest self-sustaining industry in the country as well as the largest rural employment sector.
Verghese Kurien. Twitter
Every year 26 November is observed as the National Milk Day across the country. The day is observed to highlight the need and importance of milk in human life as it is the first food that a newborn baby consumes right after birth.
The National Milk Day is also observed to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Verghese Kurien who is also known as the ‘Father of White Revolution’ in the country.
This year makes the 100th birth anniversary of the Father of the White Revolution. Amul took to social media to honour its founder with a witty cartoon.
Here is all you need to know about Dr Verghese Kurien and why his birth anniversary is celebrated as National Milk Day in the country:
The late social entrepreneur played a key role in making India the largest milk producer in the world from a milk-deficient country. Kurien was also the brains behind ‘Operation Flood,’ which led dairy farming to become largest self-sustaining industry in the country as well as the largest rural employment sector.
History:
Dr Verghese Kurien, ‘the milkman of India’, was born on 26 November, 1921, in present-day- Kozhikode, Kerala. He was a mechanical engineer earlier and had also received a British scholarship to study Dairy Engineering at USA’s Michigan State University.
He played a major role in the formation of Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL). The idea for the company occurred to him when he joined the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd in 1950 as General Manager. AMUL smashed the local trade cartel around 65 years ago making the way for cooperative sectors to make headway in Gujarat. Kurien served the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) from 1973 to 2006.
Awards and acknowledgements:
For his tremendous contribution to dairy farming that led India to become the largest milk producer in the world, the government felicitated Kurien with several awards. He was conferred with a number of awards including the prestigious Padma Vibhushan (1999), World Food Prize (1989), Krishi Ratna (1986), Padma Bhushan (1966), Padma Shri (1965), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963) etc.
What makes the day special this year?
This year, National Milk Day is being observed by the Centre as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. The Government will distribute the National Gopal Ratna awards at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) campus in Anand. The awards will be conferred by Union Animal Husbandry and Dairy Minister Parshottam Rupala to the winners in various categories.