IFFCO staff members, cutting across ranks, greeted their MD, Dr. U.S. Awasthi, on receiving the prestigious Rochdale Pioneers Award from the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) – one of the highest accolades in the global cooperative sector.
From functional directors to GMs, AGMs, and even junior staff, all assembled at the IFFCO Auditorium in Saket, Delhi, to honour Dr. Awasthi with a human-sized garland. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and celebration.
Dr. Awasthi is the second Indian to receive this award after Verghese Kurien, the legendary founder of Amul. Established in 2000 by the ICA Board, the Rochdale Pioneers Award recognizes individuals or, in special cases, cooperative organizations that have introduced innovative and financially sustainable cooperative activities, significantly benefiting their membership.
An overwhelmed Dr. Awasthi later expressed his gratitude to the IFFCO family in a tweet: “The President of the IFFCO Employees Union and the Chairman of the Officers Association of IFFCO, on behalf of all employees and officials, felicitated and congratulated me on receiving the Rochdale Pioneers Award 2024 from ICA. I am overwhelmed by the love and affection shown by Team IFFCO. This is a proud moment for all of us at IFFCO.”