National Milk Day is annually celebrated across India on 26th November to celebrate the importance of milk in the life of humans. The day honours the birth anniversary of padma awardee Dr Verghese Kurien, who is known as the Milkman of India and Father of India’s White Revolution.
The National Milk Day 2020 marks the 99th Birth Anniversary of Dr Verghese Kurien.
Background:
The National Milk Day was initiated by the Indian Diary Association (IDA) in 2014 and the first National Milk Day was celebrated on 26th November 2014 in which National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), IDA and the milk producers across 22 states participated.
About Dr Verghese Kurien:
i.Dr Verghese Kurien who played a major role in enabling India to have its own milk production centres and the architect of the Operation Flood, which enabled India to become the largest producer of milk.
ii.He was the Chairman and Founder of Amul who was named as the Chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
iii.He also contributed to the making of Amul girl ad campaign, the longest running campaigns for more than 10 years.
iv.He received the Padma Shri in 1965 and Padma Bhushan in 1966 for trade and Industry, Gujarat and he received the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 for Science and Engineering, Gujarat.
v.He has also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1963 for his creative coordination of Government and Private enterprise to improve food and sanitation in India.
Operation Flood:
i.The Operation Flood was launched in 1970 by India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
ii.It was the world’s biggest dairy development programme which boosted the milk production of India.
iii.The Operation flood operated in 3 phases which ensured,
- Creation of a national milk grid connecting producers and consumers in more than 700 towns and cities across India.
- Reduced the seasons and regional price variations
- Producers get a major share of the price paid by the consumers by eliminating middlemen.
Note:
As of 2018, India Produces around 22%(around 188 Million Tonne(MT)) of the World’s milk production.
Events:
i.As a part of the National Milk Day, NDDB awarded certificates and awards to 86 milk producers, 19 dairy cooperatives and 8 milk producer companies across 22 states for their efforts towards increasing the digital bill payments.
ii.Dilip Rath, Chairman of NDDB, honoured 62 milk producers from cooperatives and 24 from producer companies and 19 cooperatives and 8 milk producer companies across 22 states.
iii.He also launched “Dairy Surveyor”, a Geographic Information System (GIS)-enabled field data collection, visualisation and decision making mobile application.
About National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):
Chairman– Dilip Rath
Headquarters– Anand, Gujarat
About Indian Diary Association (IDA)
President – Dr. G. S. Rajorhia
Head Quarter – New Delhi
ID is the apex body of the dairy industry in India.
