There are some important dates and days which should be remembered by everyone, one such day is National Milk Day, which is celebrated on 26 November of every year across India. On this day, programmes are organised in Gujarat to emphasise the importance of milk and how it helps the human body.
Largely, it is observed to commemorate Dr Verghese Kurien’s birth anniversary, famously known as the ‘Milkman of India.’ National Milk Day is observed to provide information on the need and importance of milk in human life. The important fact is that milk is the first food that a child takes after birth.
For human beings, milk is an excellent source of nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, vitamin B, vitamin D and potassium.
The dairy industry in India employs around 5.3% of the GDP. As per the reports and analysis from the Business Standard, the dairy industry will be the growth by about 9-11% in the year 2021-2022. This growth depends upon the factors like per-capita consumption of milk, economic growth, and changing the balance-diet preferences.
Dr Verghese Kurien had ushered the white revolution and made the dairy farm the soul of India’s industrial sector.
On 26 November 2014, the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying commemorated National Milk Day in his honour. These important dates and days are very essential for a candidate to remember as they might help them with current affairs. National Milk Day of the year 2021 celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Dr Kurien. Students studying for the UPSC prelims can learn about National Milk Day by reading this article.
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Biography of Dr. Verghese Kurien
Some important dates and days as well as biography of Dr. Verghese Kurien isow
- Dr Verghese Kurien was born on 26 November 1921
- His place of Birth was Calicut, Madras Presidency (now Kozhikode, Kerala, India)
- Dr Kurien father’s name was Puthenparakkal Kurien
- He was married to Susan Molly Peter
- He died on 9 September 2012
- His place of death was Nadiad, Gujarat, India
- Dr Verghese Kurien was known as the Father of the White Revolution of India and Milkman of India.
- He was the General Manager and later Chairman of AMUL, Chairman of MDDB and IRMA
- Dr Kurien had received some prestigious awards, namely Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1963), Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), Krishi Ratna Award (1986), World Food Prize (1989), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence (2001) and several other awards.
- Dr Kurien had established several institutions, such as Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), National Dairy Development Board NDDB) and played a significant role in shaping the Dairy Cooperative movement.
- Dr Verghese Kurein brought White Revolution to India and executed the programme, Operation Flood. He helped India to be the largest milk producer in the world.
National Milk Day 2022: White Revolution and Operation Flood
In the year 1970, India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) started a prestigious programme known as Operation Flood for the betterment of the rural areas. This programme is considered the biggest programme because it aimed to develop the distribution of milk in a wider range in the nation. The programme helped in reducing the malpractices that were done by the milk traders and merchants, and thus it resulted in making India one of the largest producers of milk.
The operation, also known as the White Revolution, was initiated by Dr Verghese Kurien. During that time, NDDB’s chairman was Dr. Verghese Kurien, who gave management skills. The programme was a huge success. As a result, this important date should be remembered by every Indian.
The outcome of Operation Flood is as follows.
- There was an increase in the production of milk
- Prices were set reasonably for the consumers
Phases of the Operation Flood
There were three phases of Operation Flood.
Phase I (1970-1980): It was funded by the European Union’s contribution of skimmed milk powder and butter oil to the World Food Programme. Operation Flood connected 18 of India’s best milk sheds with consumers in the country’s main metros, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, and constructed mother dairies in four of them.
Phase II (1981-1985): The number of milk sheds increased from 18 to 136 during this period. In addition, roughly 290 urban marketplaces increased the number of milk shops. By the end of 1985, a self-sustaining system of 43,000 village cooperatives with 4.25 million dairy farmers had been established. Domestic milk powder output also expanded from 22,000 tonnes to 140,000 tonnes by 1989.
Phase III (1985-1996): During this period, dairy cooperatives extended and upgraded their infrastructure in order to boost market milk volumes. This phase strengthened India’s dairy cooperative system by adding 30,000 new dairy cooperatives to the 42,000 cooperatives in phase II. In 1988-89, the number of milk sheds with women members increased to 173, and the number of Women’s Dairy Cooperative Societies also increased dramatically.
The Union government celebrates the day as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav this year. The government also presents the National Gopal Ratna awards at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) campus in Anand.
Aspirants of competitive exams would benefit from this post on National Milk Day. They can look up thorough information on India’s National Milk Day on educational portals.
Additionally, they can learn more about National Milk Day activities by visiting news portals.
