Kurien led 'operation flood' to make India the biggest milk producing nation in the world
The father of India's 'white revolution' Dr Verghese Kurien passed away early this morning at Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital in neighbouring Nadiad town due to age-related problems, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) sources said.
He was 90 years old and is survived by wife and daughter.
Kurien, who took India from being a milk-deficient country to the world's largest milk producer, is recognized as the father of white revolution and the man who started 'operation flood', besides making the Amul dairy brand a household name.
GCMMF chairman M S Sodhi had reached the hospital, sources said.
Kurien's 90th birthday was celebrated in a big way at his residence in Anand by the GCMMF on November 26 last year.
Born in Calicut, Kerala on November 26, 1921 he graduated from Loyola college of Madras and did his BE from university of Madras. He then went to US on a government scholarship to earn his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan university.
After his return, he joined Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited in 1949 which was formed at the initiative of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel who asked Kurien to help set up a dairy processing plant from where journey of Amul and Kurien began.
The Amul pattern of co-operative became a success and it was replicated throughout Gujarat. The different dairy unions were later brought under the banner of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation.
Kurien is also credited to be the first one to produce powder from buffalo milk, when elsewhere in the world, cow milk was used to produce milk powder.
Impressed by the success of Amul, then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri established National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to replicate Amul model across the country and Kurien was made its chairman.
NDDB launched operation flood in 1970, turning India into the largest milk producer in the world. He served as chairman of NDDB for 33 years from 1965 to 1998.
Today over 10 million farmers under NDDB, provide over 20 million litres of milk a day to 200 dairy cooperatives across the country.
Interestingly, the 'milkman of India' did not consume milk himself. He once said, "I do not drink milk as I don't like it."
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