The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cooperation, Amit Shah, presided over the diamond jubilee celebration of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and also the birth anniversary of Tribhuvandas Patel in Anand, Gujarat, on 22 October 2024. Diamond Jubilee refers to the 60th anniversary of an organisation. Anand is the headquarters of the NDDB.

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh and other dignitaries were also present.

Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the Mother Dairy fruit and vegetable processing unit worth Rs 210 crore. He also launched two ghee brands- Badri Cow Ghee from Uttrakhand and the Gir Cow Ghee of Amul.

Badri Ghee is made from the milk of the Himalayan breed cow,Badri and the Gir ghee is made from the milk of Gir cow found in Gir forest of Gujarat.

Amit Shah lauds the contribution of NDDB and Tribhuvandas Patel

Amit Shah acknowledged the role of Tribhuvandas Patel as the founder of the cooperative movement in the dairy sector which led to the foundation of the National Dairy Development Board and the launch of Operation Flood.

The success of the Operation Flood has made India the largest producer of the milk in the world since 1998.

The success of the operation flood has increased the per capita availability of milk in the country from 40 kilograms per person per year in 1970 to 167 kilograms per person per year in 2023.

NDDB and Dairy Cooperative Movement

India’s first dairy cooperative, Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Limited was formed in 1946 by farmers of Anand, Gujarat inspired by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Tribhuvandas Patel was the founder Chairman of the Cooperatives,which later became famous as Amul dairy.

Dr Verghese Kurien joined Amul in 1950, and under his professional leadership, Amul became a highly successful story.

Foundation of NDDB and Dr Verghese Kurien Role

During 1964 the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Amul dairy in Anand and impressed by the success of Amul, he decided that the Amul model of dairy cooperative will be replicated all over India, to make India self-sufficient in milk and dairy products.

The Lal Bahadur Shastri government established the National Dairy Development Board(NDDB) in 1965, based on Amul's successful cooperative model.

Dr Vergehese Kurien was appointed the first Chairman of the NDDB.

NDDB under Vergehese Kurien launched Operation Flood, which has made India largest producer of milk in the world.

The increase in the production of milk and dairy products is called as white revolution. Acknowledging the contribution of Dr Verghese Kurien in the white revolution , he is also called the father of white revolution in India or Milkman of India.

26 November, the birthday of Dr Kurien is observed as the National Milk Day in India.

Milk Production and India

India is the world’s largest producer of milk since 1998, surpassing the United States of America.

India’s contribution to world milk production is around 25%.

The milk production in 2022-23 was 230.58 million tonnes.

Highest milk producing States during 2022-23 were;

Uttar Pradesh (with a share of 15.72 % of total milk production),
Rajasthan (14.44 %),
Madhya Pradesh (8.73 %),
Gujarat (7.49 %), and
Andhra Pradesh (6.70 %)