Amul embraces the principle of science in marketing, management and production keeping the essence of cooperative

The people in the cooperative sector should learn from this change, as those who do not change with the times are not able to advance themselves

Today is the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, today is the day for every person associated with the cooperative movement to take a pledge that we should make the cooperative movement a strong pillar of India's economic system again

I am confident that once again new and modern seeds will be sown and the crop that will be harvested will once again bring greenery and white revolution

Union Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah addressed the 75th Foundation Year celebrations of Amul at Anand, Gujarat today. Several dignitaries including Union Ministers Shri Purushottam Rupala, Shri BL Verma and Shri Dev Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Patel and Amul President Shri Ram Singh Parmar were present on the occasion. 

In his address, the Union Minister for Cooperation said that today is the birth anniversary of Sardar Saheb and today Amul also has a programme on its 75^th year. Sardar Patel had a close relationship with Amul. Sardar Patel's inspiration and hardworking cooperative leader Tribhuvan Das Patel turned the farmers' struggle against the injustice of private dairies towards positive thinking. This is not only a unique example for cooperatives but also a great example for social workers who agitate to give voice to the questions of the people. Movements are meant to solve problems and not to increase problems. Farmers in Kheda district were being exploited and agitated against this they began a movement of Non-cooperation and converted it into such a movemen,t that the seed which was sown has today become a banyan tree and is a source of employment for 36 lakh families. The movement not only stopped exploitation, but had the ability to change the movement by taking a constructive approach, which was due to  Sardar Saheb and especially Tribhuvan Das.

Shri Amit Shah said that from the inspiration of late Tribhuvan Das, Sardar Sahib to the poorest of the poorest women who produce milk for Amul in a small village today, everyone has accomplished the feat and in 75 years, Amul has spread all over and a global brand has been created. This is one such example of how when many people convert the sum of their potential together, how much power can be created and this is the basic mantra of cooperatives. We may be small, but we are many in number. If a large number of small people unite and walk in one direction, so that a strong force can be created, it is called a cooperative. He said today Amul's movement has done this. When it was conceived, around 200 litres of milk was collected and today the annual turnover of Amul has crossed Rs. 53,000 in 2020-21. Amul has developed the capacity to process and store 30 million lires of milk per day. 36 lakh farmer families are associated with it by making it their business and living their life with respect. More than 18,600 small milk producer cooperatives of villages are associated with it today, and are contributing in making Amul strong. There are 18 district level dairies and milk processing plants have been set up at 87 locations across the country. The journey from collecting 200 liters of milk to collecting 30 million liters of milk is a long journey. 

The Union Cooperation Minister said that many schemes have been started here today, including the inauguration of Sardar Patel Auditorium, the Government of India issued a postage stamp in memory of all the milk producers of Amul, the inauguration of a special cover for 100 crore vaccines of COVID-19, and a scheme to give Rs 5,000 crore to the dairy sector through NCDC, Government of India was also launched.

Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established the Ministry of Cooperation and has decided to take forward the cooperative movement with a new vision. Be it any law or movement, if its work is not reviewed for 75 years, necessary changes, reforms and provisions are not added, it expires. There was a need to make many changes in the cooperative movement also and Shri Modi saw this need in time. Shri Shah said that even today  the cooperative movement is having many successful projects and at the same time the Prime Minister has decided to form a new cooperative ministry, and it is a matter of good fortune and joy for me that he gave me the responsibility. The Ministry of Co-operatives has been created with the motto of Sahakar Se Samriddhi (Prosperity through Cooperation) and the motto of its Charter will also be Sahakar Se Samriddhi. He expressed confidence that cooperatives can make a huge contribution to a US $ 5 trillion economy and there can be no bigger way than for cooperatives to fulfill the dream of a Self-reliant India.

The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cooperation said that the way Amul has worked in many areas, such as, not only production, processing, marketing, great work for women's empowerment has also been made after Independence. The soul of this cooperative movement is the women of Gujarat. This project which has reached a turnover of Rs. 53,000 crore, its life is the poor women of the village and this is a huge contribution of Amul.

The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cooperation said that the dream of the White Revolution that Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri had envisaged seems to be successful today, but it is also time for Amul to look further. The time has also come to take forward our success story in the cooperative sector and the subjects related to agriculture and animal husbandry on a cooperative basis and to make agriculture self-reliant. He said cooperative societies with our success story will definitely have to come forward,  and the idea of ​​being confined to a family of 36 lakh would not be right. We have to look afresh at areas like agriculture and farmers, animal husbandry and milk processing through cooperatives, and use our own experience and achievement of standards of success, then only can cooperatives be strong. He said the National Dairy Development Board was established in Anand due to this thought process,

Shri Amit Shah said that a new type of awakening has swept the country, and many farmers have begun testing the soil on their land and are engaged in organic and natural farming. However, they do not have a platform to market their products. Farmers do not have the means to send their products to across the country and the world. Shri Shah asked whether any cooperative institution can take the responsibility, in which an online platform could be created where arrangements for testing the soil fertility on their land and products can be made. Their organic products should be sold by making a profit in the global market and all benefits should reach the poor farmer. He said that this would be of great benefit in land conservation, water conservation, increase in production and prosperity of the farmer.

The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for  Cooperation said that the co-operative sector can play a major role in Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's insistence and goal of doubling farmers, income. Referring to the journey of Amul, Shri Shah said that Amul in 1946, was the first to adopt the mantra of cooperatives instead of private dairies, and this was a very big decision. Shri Shah said that Amul took up the call of the White revolution of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and Dr. Kurien also joined it. By accepting the principle of science and keeping the essence of cooperatives in it, they accepted science in marketing, management and production. Once again in the 1980s and 1990s a huge campaign was launched and technology was radically changed by practicing the use of technology from around the world. From 1995 onwards till 2000 milk producers launched new types of services using call centres, Information systems and mobile apps. When the digital revolution began, Amul began delivering money directly from the bank to the doorstep through digital payments. Those working in the  cooperative sector should learn from this change because those who do not change with the times, will not be able to advance themselves.

Shri Amit Shah said even in fulfilling responsibility towards society, Amul never looked back. Amul has also contributed in providing help during natural disasters and in promoting nutrition programmes. Shri Shah said today is the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel and today is the day for every person associated with the cooperative movement to take the pledge of making the cooperative movement a strong pillar of India's economic system once again. Shri Shah said that he has full faith that once again new and modern seeds will be planted and the crop that will be there will once again bring greenery and the White Revolution.

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