- National Milk Day celebrates the importance of milk in a human’s life and spreads awareness on the benefits of drinking milk. NMD also aims to strengthen the dairy sector by increasing the production of milk products.
- The National Milk Day is celebrated on 26th November to pay tribute to Dr Verghese Kurien’s birthday. He is known to bring the white revolution to India.
- In fact, the NMD 2021 commemorated Dr Kurien’s 100th birth anniversary.
- Moreover, National Gopal Ratna Awards were awarded to the stakeholders of the Dairy sector. An In Vitro Fertilization lab was also launched at Gujarat, Dhamrod, Hessarghatta and Karnataka.
- According to the Business Standard, the Dairy industry in India is expected to grow by 9-11% in 2021-22. This growth is affiliated to increasing per capita consumption of milk, economic revival and changing dietary preferences in urban areas.
History:-
- The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Indian Dairy Association (IDA), and 22 state-level milk federations in 2014 together decided to celebrate the birthday of Dr Verghese Kurien who was known as the father of India’s White Revolution on 26 November. Therefore, the first National Milk Day was observed on 26 November 2014.
What is White Revolution?
- On National Milk Day in India, people commemorate how Operation Flood revolutionised milk production in their country. On January 13th, 1970, Operation Flood was conducted to assist farmers in obtaining the best possible price for their goods. Previous year National milk day theme 2021 had no theme to celebrate.
- Within thirty years, the dairy industry became a viable rural employment sector thanks to this programme for the development of the dairy industry.
- To increase milk production nationwide, Dr. Verghese Kurien launched the White Revolution in India. Operation Flood, which assisted farmers in setting fair milk prices, was a significant component of the revolution. Below are some key points regarding the revolution:
- The White revolution put local farmers in charge of milk production and distribution, which improved the efficiency of the dairy business. The GDP then increased as a result of the growth in rural income.
- India overtook the United States as the top milk production by 2016.
- The production and development of milk and milk products were directly under the control of the farmers thanks to this operation. This programme improved the calibre and output of milk production and contributed to the white revolution.