In March 2025, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Cooperation (MoC) inaugurated the ‘Workshop on Sustainability and Circularity in the Dairy Sector’ at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi (Delhi).
- The workshop was organised by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAH&D) in partnership with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
- Sustainability, efficiency and circularity of resources in the dairy sector will play a pivotal role in realizing Prime Minister (PM) Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’.
Key Dignitaries: Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, (MoFAH&D); Union Minister of States (MoSs) George Kurian and S.P. Singh Bhagel, MoFAH&D; and other senior officials from DAHD, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), among others were present at the event.
Key MoUs and Initiatives Introduced by NDDB:
i.During the workshop, NDDB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in the dairy sector by using the technical, financial and implementation support.
ii.NDDB has also signed MoUs with 26 Milk Union of 15 states, to establish biogas plants across the country.
iii.The event also witness the release of comprehensive guidelines aimed at sustainability in the dairy sector along with the launch of financing initiatives under NDDB’s small scale biogas, large scale biogas or compressed biogas (CBG) projects.
- During the event, NDDB Sustain Plus Project for financing sustainable dairying interventions was launched, along with the release of ‘Margdarshika’ on circularity in the dairy sector.
- All these initiatives are projected to boost the adoption of circular practices in dairy farming, promoting efficient manure management and energy generation while mitigating environmental impact.
iv.NDDB has introduced a new financing scheme with estimated budget outlay of Rs 1,000 crores, aimed to provide financial assistance through credit support for small biogas, large-scale biogas plants, and CBG projects, thereby facilitating the scaling up of several manure management models over the next 10 years.
Key Points:
i.Union Minister highlighted that PM Modi has set 3 ambitious target for India: to become USD 5 trillion economy, to be world’s 3rd largest economy, and become a fully developed country in 2047.
ii.Union Minister highlighted about the ‘Cooperation Amongst Cooperatives’ which aimed to open all accounts in cooperative banks and at present, 93% of the institutions in Gujarat have accounts in cooperative banks.
iv.He underscored under White Revolution 2.0, the Government of India (GoI) aimed to form milk unions in 80% of the districts of the country and increase the number of marketing dairies from the current 28 to 3 times in number.
- He also mentioned that currently, 72% women are working in the cooperative dairy sector.
About National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)- Dr. Meenesh Shah
Headquarters- Anand, Gujarat
Established – 1965
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAH&D):
Union Minister- Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh (Constituency- Munger, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS) – S.P. Singh Baghel (Constituency- Agra, Uttar Pradesh, UP); George Kurian (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh, MP)
