The Delhi Milk Scheme begun way back in 1959 as a part of the union agriculture ministry has been incurring losses over the last years. The scheme is on the block now and the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation-the parent company of the famous Amul has shown interest in buying it.

GCMMF’s move is prompted by certain concrete calculations: using the DMS infrastructure and its great market potential. According to Gcmmf chairman Vipul Chaudhary, DMS has more than 350 outlets in the national capital and has a production capacity of half a million litres of milk a day.

GCMMF presently boasts an annual turnover of nearly Rs.12 thousand crore but it is active exploring new areas outside Gujarat for its expansion. It would invest Rs. 3000 crore enhancing both its production and procurement capacity in the next few years, said GCMMF’s new Chairman Vipul Chaudhary.

Talking to Indian Cooperative, Mr Chaudhary said we merely want to operate DMS professionally and we believe that business is better managed by businessmen.

Amul Dairy (Kaira Milk Union) and GCMMF have decided to build a memorial to Vergese Kurien on Amul dairy campus to remind people of him and his great achievements. The memorial would especially seek to preserve such artefacts and details of Kurien’s life and activities as would inspire the coming generations.

The cooperative organisations that would erect the memorial are of the view that Kurien has been one of the most remarkable personalities in the post-independence India and his achievements have had an enormous mass appeal.

It is therefore in the fitness of things that his legacy and the ideas he adhered to throughout his life are preserved.

Sources say the basic decision on erecting the memorial has been reached but the actual activity of building the structure would be dealt with later.

Parthi Bhatol has been elected director of the Banas dairy board for the eight times in a row. He has been elected from Palanpur constituency defeating his rival Haribhai Chaudhary a local BJP heavyweight.

The election had been due already in December 2011 but had got delayed as some milk societies moved the Gujarat High Court for the holding of election in accordance with the circular of the state govt. giving equal representation to all talukas affiliated with the dairy cooperatives.

Sources say the chairman would be elected by 18 members including one each from GCMMF, NDDB, district registrar of cooperative societies and a representative from Banas dairy. The district collector is expected to announce the date for the election of chairman as well soon, sources add.

By Amrita Patel

Verghese Kurien came to Anand more than 60 years ago after completing his graduation in the US, intending to leave soon. But drawn by the power of an idea-milk producers cooperating to build a better life- he stayed. Today, after a lifetime of service that touched millions of lives, Kurien passed away in the small town he never left.

When Kurien arrived in Anand, there was a fledgling dairy cooperative born of the Independence movement. The cooperative’s chairman, Tribhuvandasbhai Patel’s skill in motivating people combined with Dr Kurien’s entrepreneurial qualities, helped transform the business into a model for dairying.

In 1964, then PM Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Anand and created the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to replicate the spirit of Anand throughout India and asked Kurien to be its first chairman . Kurien accepted on the condition that the headquarters remained in Anand.

Establishing some 1,50,000 cooperatives with about 15 million members, and leading India to become the world’s largest milk producer was no mean feat. He strode like a Titan across bureaucratic barriers at every stage of NDDB’s history. The ultimate tribute to Kurien would be to protect what he stood for. May his vision continue to guide us.

(Dr Amrita Patel is the chairperson of NDDB)

Courtsey-ET

Excerpts of condolence letter written by IFFCO Managing Director Mr U S Awasthi to Mrs.Molly Kurien on the demise of cooperative genius Mr Verghese Kurien

Dear Mrs. Kurien,

I express my heartfelt grief on passing away of Dr. Kurien, the father of the white revolution and the founding father of the great cooperative institution AMUL.

He will always be an inspiration to the cooperative institutions like ours and our 40,000 cooperative members and 5.5 crore members. We will always miss the presence of the great soul, a pioneer, who believed in the strength of the cooperative movement.

Dr. Kurien not only proved to the world that cooperatives can be successful business entities which truly symbolizes the idea of ‘inclusive business practices’ but he showed to the world the power of rural India and the power of the Indian farmer.

AMUL led by Dr.Kurien, in a way epitomizes the power of ‘one for all and all for one’, in bringing white revolution.

This helped the Institution like IFFCO in ushering the green revolution. Both these noble cooperative institutions stood for a vision with compassion to become a symbol of successful Indian cooperatives. Dr.Kurien, was a noble soul behind the above idea.

On the behalf of entire IFFCO family, I once again pray to God to give peace to the spirit of this noble soul and may his guidance and ‘Aashirwad’ continue to guide us on the righteous path.

With kindest regards.

Yours sincerely,
(U.S.Awasthi)

Nobody has seen Amul girl ever weeping. She is hurly-burly ever eager to take on the world. But she is weeping at the news of her father’s demise- Verghese Kurien.

She has been carrying milk to us from the year 1964 and has seen all weathers. She has seen shortage of milk, its abundance. She felt sad sometimes but never wept.

She is weeping and is barely able to hold her tears. All these years she played around, confident of the fact that the father is resting up in Anand. Its true her father stopped active participation in the affairs of Amul long time back. But a patriarch is a patriarch and his mere presence fills one up with confidence.

She saw him ( Kurien) taking on the mighty vested interests in the beginning. She saw how he bulldozed his way in the deeply-entrenched bureaucracy to create a milky way. She remained with him through thick and thin.

Now she has become alone. Others come to offer solace and tell her of their presence. But in heart of her hearts she knows no one could be like her father Verghese Kuiren. Others could be follower but not the trail- blazer that his father was.

Her parting lines are no less touching. She says “Thank You For Giving us Hausla, Pragati & Anand.

Verghese Kurien, was the architect of white revolution that changed India from a milk-deficient country to the world’s biggest milk producer. He laid the foundation of the nation’s co-operative dairy industry.

Recognized as the ‘Milkman of India’, who created the billion dollar brand Amul passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 90.

The Indian government had conferred on him the Padma Vibhushan while he was also the recipient of World Food Price,Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership, Carnegie Wateler World Peace Prize and International Person of the Year award from US.

Born in Kozhikode, Kerala on November 26, 1921, Kurien had graduated in science from Loyola College in Chennai (1940) and obtained his degree in engineering from the Guindy College of Engineering in Chennai.

After a stint at TISCO, Jamshedpur, Kurien got the Government of India’s (GoI) scholarship to study dairy engineering.

Following specialized training at Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in Bangalore, Kurien went to the United States where he completed his masters’ degree in mechanical engineering, with dairy engineering as a minor subject, from the Michigan State University in 1948.

On his return Dr Kurien was assigned to join Government Creamery located at Anand in Gujarat to serve his bond period. By the end of 1949, Kurien got release orders from his job at the creamery.

Kurien joined Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited in 1949, on the request of Tribhuvandas Patel, then dairy chairman. The dairy was formed at the initiative of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel.

And thus began his journey which threw him to global lime light. Kurien was visionary no doubt as no one before him had understood the power of networking farmers into a unit and producing milk collectively.

Cooperative model came handy and he exploited it the hilt to go into history as one of the brightest sons of India.

Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) is a new political formation geared to making politics in Gujarat a triangular affair. The party is a collection of those elements from the BJP who do not approve of the ways in which Narendra Modi governs the state. Keshu Bhai leads it.

The new party has decided to take on Narendra Modi in the polls for the board of directors of Baroda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union.  The party will contest all the 13 seats in the polls to be held later this month.

Baroda milk union is one of the members of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) which produces Amul. Banas Dairy, another member represented by former Chairman of GCMMF Parthi Bhatol is also going to  polls this month.

Observers see the new party as a spoiler in that the polls so far had been mere an affair between groups supported by the BJP and the Congress.

The new party views the upcoming elections in the dairy organisation as an opportunity to establish its base in the countryside.

The emergence of GPP has caused some unease in the political circles of the state even if the two main parties are trying to make the development seem insignificant.

A senior source at the Baroda milk cooperative union is quoted as saying it would not be a surprise if the new party upended the traditional arrangement.

Vipul Chaudhary was elected as the new chairman of GCMMF, producer of Amul on Saturday. He talked to Indian Cooperative on Sunday outlining his priorities.

Excerpts:

Indian Cooperative: Congratulations Mr Chaudhary! You won unanimously.

Vipul Chaudhary: Thanks

Indian Cooperative: What is your top priority as GCMMF’s Chairman?

Vipul Chaudhary: To make the state of Gujarat number one in milk production. The State’s position is presently number five.

Indian Cooperative: What is the road map? How are you going to achieve this?

Vipul Chaudhary: We would seek guidance from the respected Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is ever eager to make Gujarat number one in all sectors. We would also seek help from Amrita Behn of NDDB and then work out an action plan. We are sure to achieve this goal sooner than later.

Indian Cooperative: What else?

Vipul Chaudhary: Quality and consumer grievance are two things I am personally going to look into. All complaints would immediately be attended to as I think it is also a high priority.

Indian Cooperative: Would you enlist support of the outgoing Chairman Parthi Bhatol? Do you think he would create problems for you, given a history of bitter differences?

Vipul Chaudahry: Absolutely wrong! Parthi Bhai Bhatol is like my elder brother. We are from the same community and from the adjoining districts. That apart, it was he who proposed my name and I am confident I would have his full support all through my tenure.

Vipul Chaudhary, the Chairman of Mehsana Milk Union was elected as the new Chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), in an election marked by hectic political maneuvering behind the scene.

Parthi Bhatol who served two-terms as Chairman of Amul, made way for Chaudhary to the great surprise of media and people associated with GCMMF political matrix.

Bhatol said, “I had not filed nominations for the post of chairman. I propose Vipul’s name. He has significant experience in the dairy industry, and is heading the Dudhsagar Dairy in Mehsana. All of us will together steer GCMMF to new heights.”

Till yesterday Bhatol was angling for the top political post but in the last minute he proposed Vipul Chaudhary’s name to the anti-climax of a political build-up marked for last fortnight.

Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat is caught in political vortex in the wake of Assembly election scheduled for November. GCMMF politics threatened to tear into the unity of BJP which is already compromised in the wake of Keshu Bhai’s floating a new party.

The Chairmen of milk unions affiliated to GCMMF waited for “instruction” from Narendra Modi till last minute. Even Bhatol was at a loss as to which way the politics would turn. Modi was careful not to allow a prolonged political build up that would cost BJP its unity.

The political operation was quick and swift. The instruction was clear—Vipul is to be supported. And nobody but the outgoing Chairman Bahtol would propose his name.

“Instruction” in place, the election of Chairman of GCMMF was a smooth affair. Vipul Chaudhary was elected unanimously and Bhatol did not even file his nomination. Cooperative politics gave way to consensus politics.

The transition of power was rather smooth and it took only half an hour for the diary behemoth to elect its new guardian. Hope this bonhomie continues in days to come. Vipul has already announced a goal of Rs 30,000 crore by 2020 and would be needing support from all to achieve this. Amul, after all is pride of Indian cooperative movement.