National Milk Day is observed every year on 26 November across India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, widely known as the “Father of the White Revolution in India” and “Milkman of India”.
- 26th November 2025 marks the observance of the 12th National Milk Day and 104th Birth anniversary of Verghese Kurein.
Exam Hints:
- Event: National Milk Day 2025
- When? November 26
- Purpose: Commemorates the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien
- Significance: 12th National Milk Day; 104th birth anniversary of Kurien
- Origin: Instituted in 2014
- First observed: 26 November 2014
- Nodal Ministry: DAHD, MoFAH&D
- 2025 Celebrations:
- Held at: Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi
- Launches: Guidelines for Minimum Standards of Veterinary Infrastructure ; Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS) 2025
- Conferred: National Gopal Ratna Awards 2025.
Background:
Origin: National Milk Day was instituted in 2014 through a joint initiative of the Indian Dairy Association (IDA), the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), and 22 State-Level Milk Federations.
First Observance: The first National Milk Day was celebrated on 26 November 2014.
Nodal Ministry: The annual observance is coordinated by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying(DoAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAH&D).
About Verghese Jurien:
Birth: Verghese Kurien was born on 26 November 1921 in Calicut (now Kozhikode), Kerala.
Founding of NDDB: He established the NDDB in 1965 and served as its first Chairman from 1965 to 1998.
Autobiography: He published his autobiography, “I Too Had a Dream,” in 2005.
Awards and Honours: The Government of India (GoI) honoured him with Padma Shri in 1965 in the field of trade and industry ; Padma Bhushan in 1966 in the field of trade and industry and Padma Vibushan in 1999 in the field of science and engineering.
- He also received the World Food Prize in 1989 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1963.
Death: He passed away on 9 September 2012 in Nadiad, Gujarat.
2025 Event :
Celebration: The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying(MoFAH&D), celebrated National Milk Day 2025 on 26 November 2025 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi.
Participants: The event was attended by Union Minister of State(MoS) Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel and Union MoS George Kurian, MoFAH&D along with Naresh Pal Gangwar, Secretary, DAHD, and other senior officials.
Launches: During the event, the Guidelines for Minimum Standards of Veterinary Infrastructure in India were launched, establishing a uniform four-tier structure for veterinary services: Primary Veterinary Care Centres (PVCCs), Block-Level Veterinary Hospitals, District-Level Veterinary Hospitals, and State-Level Polyclinics/Referral Centres.
- The Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS) 2025 was launched to provide updated, comprehensive data for informed policy planning in the animal husbandry sector.
- The BAHS 2025, based on the Integrated Sample Survey from 1 March 2024 to 29 February 2025, provides key data on major livestock products: milk, eggs, meat, and wool, supporting research and policy in the livestock sector.
Flagging Off of Modern Milk Tankers: During the event, Union MoS S. P. Singh Baghel flagged off 20 modern insulated milk tankers commissioned by Ropar Milk Union under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), supported through the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA)-assisted Project – Component B: Dairying through Cooperatives.
National Gopal Ratna Awards 2025:
Overview: The National Gopal Ratna Awards, established under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (2014) to conserve indigenous bovine breeds, have been awarded annually since 2021.
Presented by: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), MoFAH&D, conferred the National Gopal Ratna Awards 2025, one of India’s highest civilian honours in the livestock and dairy sector.
Award Categories : The National Gopal Ratna Awards 2025 recognise excellence across three categories:
- Best Dairy Farmer for outstanding rearing of indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds
- Best Dairy Cooperative/Farmer Producer Organization (FPO)/Milk Producer Company (MPC) for exceptional performance in management, milk production, and supply chain
- Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) for delivering high-quality AI and breeding services.
- The DAHD also presented Special Awards for North Eastern Region (NER) states in each category to promote and strengthen dairy development activities in the region.
Prize Money: The award carries a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh (1st), Rs.3 lakh (2nd), Rs.2 lakh (3rd), and Rs.2 lakh for NER special award, along with a certificate of merit and a memento.
- In the Best AIT category, winners are awarded a certificate and memento, without any cash prize.
Winners of National Gopal Ratna Awards 2025:
| Rank | Winner | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Best Dairy Farmer (Indigenous Cattle/Buffalo Breeds) | ||
| 1 | Aravind Yashavant Patil | Kolhapur, Maharashtra |
| 2 | Dr. Kankanala Krishna Reddy | Hyderabad, Telangana |
| 3
| Harshit Jhuria | Sikar, Rajasthan |
| Kumari Shraddha Satyawan Dhavan | Ahmednagar, Maharashtra | |
| Special | Vijay Lata | Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh(HP) |
| Special | Pradeep Pangariya | Champawat, Uttarakhand |
| Best Dairy Cooperative Society / Milk Producer Company / Dairy Farmer producer organization(FPO) | ||
| 1 | Meenan Gadi Ksheerolpadaka Sahakarana Sangham Ltd | Wayanad, Kerala |
| 2 | Kunnamkattupathy Ksheerolpadaka Sahakarana Samgham | Palakkad, Kerala |
| Ghinoi Dugdh Utpadak Sahkari Samiti | Jaipur, Rajasthan | |
| 3 | TYSPL 37 Sendurai Milk Producers Cooperative Society Ltd | Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu(TN) |
| Special | Kulha Duud Udpadhak Sahkari Samiti | Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand |
| Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) | ||
| 1 | Dillip Kumar Pradhan | Anugul, Odisha |
| 2 | Vikas Kumar | Hanumangarh, Rajasthan |
| 3 | Anuradha Chakali | Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh(AP) |
| Special | Deluwar Hasan | Barpeta, Assam |
Key Dairy Development Programmes in India
White Revolution: Launched in 1970, was a government initiative to boost milk production and consumption in India.
- In September 2024, the Government of India(GoI)introduced White Revolution 2.0 to empower women farmers and create employment opportunities. The programme is scheduled to run for five years, from 2024–25 to 2028–29.
- The government aims to increase milk procurement by dairy cooperative societies by 50% over the next five years.
Rashtriya Gokul Mission: Launched in 2014 to conserve indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds and improve productivity, was revised in March 2025 to boost livestock sector growth. The updated Mission, with a total outlay of Rs.3,400 crore, focuses on strengthening semen stations, expanding artificial insemination, and promoting scientific breeding.
National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD): Launched in 2014-15, the NPDD enhances milk quality, expands organised procurement and processing, and strengthens infrastructure for cooperative producers. It was restructured in 2021 for implementation through 2025-26.
Key Facts:
Production: India is the world’s largest milk producer, with output reaching 239.30 million tonnes in 2023-24 and projected to hit 242 million tonnes by 2026, accounting for 32% of global supply.
- Per-capita milk availability has also surged from 124 grams to 471 grams per person per day.
Cooperative: India’s cooperative dairy sector comprises 22 milk federations, 241 district unions, 28 marketing dairies, and 25 Milk Producer Organisations (MPOs).
Amul leads the global dairy cooperative rankings, posting a turnover of over Rs.90,000 crore in 2024-25.
Livestock
India’s dairy economy is supported by 303.76 million bovines, including cattle, buffalo, mithun, and yak.
Tax: Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms in 2025 lowered taxes on most dairy products to nil or 5%.
