The President Smt. Droupadi Murmu graced the 19^th convocation ceremony of the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal in its centenary year. Governor of Haryana, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary, Director General of ICAR, Dr. Himanshu Pathak were the special guests at the convocation. The President Smt. Murmu said that women power is playing an important role in the management of dairy industry in India. More than 70 percent participation in the Dairying sector is by women. It is heartening to note that today more than one-third of degree awardees are girls, 50 per cent of gold medalists are also girls.

President Smt. Murmu said that the Dairying sector has special significance in making women self-reliant as well as in bringing changes in their social and economic status. We need to ensure that these women have equal rights and opportunities to make decisions and provide leadership. For this, there is a need to provide more opportunities for education, training and skill development to these women. Along with this, there should be facility of easy loan and market access to women to make them entrepreneurs in dairy farming. She congratulated the farmers of Punjab and Haryana while mentioning the special role played by them in the success of Green Revolution as well as the White Revolution. She said that milk and milk derivatives have always been an integral part of Indian food and culture. Along with mother's milk, cow's milk is also considered nectar for health. In the Rigveda it is said ‘गोषु प्रियम् अमृतं रक्षमाणा’, meaning, cow milk is like nectar, which protects against diseases. Milk is considered holy, so it is also used for the consecration of the deities. Even today, women in the country are blessed with 'दूधो नहाओ-पूतो फलो' by the elders. Cow and other livestock have been an integral part of Indian society and traditions. In Indian tradition, livestock including cow is considered a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. The stories of Shri Krishna's love for the cow, Shivji and Nandi are included in our culture. Animal Husbandry is the main means of livelihood in the agro-based rural economy.

The President said that the dairy industry plays an important role in ensuring food and nutritional security of the country. It is a matter of pride that India is the largest milk producing country in the world. India accounts for about 22 percent of the global milk production. Dairy sector contributes about 5 percent to the country's GDP and dairy industry provides livelihood to about 8 crore families, therefore institutions like NDRI have an important role in the inclusive development of the country. NDRI, established in the year 1923, has made a significant contribution to the development of the dairy industry in India. The institute's research has helped in improving productivity, efficiency and quality in the dairy production sector. She expressed happiness that the technology to produce clones of high milk yielding buffaloes and cows has been developed by the NDRI. With this, the milk production capacity of the cattle will be increased and the income of the farmers will rise. She said that due to the increasing population of the country, the demand for milk related products is increasing. Also, the dairy sector is grappling with problems such as management of good quality fodder for cattle, changes in weather due to climate change and cattle diseases. Making milk production and dairy farming sustainable is a challenge before us, for which it is the responsibility of all stakeholders including the government to find a solution to meet the needs of the country. It is our responsibility to develop the dairy industry by adopting environment friendly and climate smart technologies, keeping animal welfare in mind. She also expressed happiness that NDRI is promoting various technologies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from dairy farms. Along with this, emphasis is also being laid on sources of clean energy like biogas production. She told the students that you are moving towards a new chapter of life, you should always try to learn new things and work for the welfare of the people. Some of you students must become job providers and entrepreneurs in the dairy industry. There are immense possibilities of growth in this industry and you should take advantage of these possibilities. Efforts are being made by NDRI to promote entrepreneurship and startups in the dairy sector in different parts of the country. It is expected that you will start as an entrepreneur by taking advantage of this and other schemes of the government and make the best contribution to the progress of the nation.

Union Minister Shri Tomar said that the NDRI is a very important institution of the country, which has completed a glorious journey of 100 years. ICAR affiliated NDRI has secured First position for five consecutive years in the competition among agricultural universities across the country, which is a matter of pride. He said that the contribution of scientists in the Animal Husbandry-Dairying sector, where the country is standing today, is also a landmark. India is an agricultural country, in which it is not possible to imagine the Agriculture sector without Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. Especially the livelihood of small and landless farmers also depends on Animal Husbandry. Animal Husbandry has a significant contribution in the GDP of Agriculture. There is a need to keep moving forward while solving the challenges in this area. He said that the per capita availability of milk in the country in the year 2021-22 was 444 grams per day, while the global average during 2021 was 394 grams per day. There has been an increase of about 44% in the per capita availability of milk in the country between 2013-14 to 2021-22. Shri Tomar said that for any student, the convocation ceremony is an unforgettable moment in his life, it is even more a matter of pride that this occasion coincides with the centenary celebrations of the institute. Congratulating the students who received the degree, he said that they are going to be of great service to the country.

Governor of Haryana, Shri Dattatreya, Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal and Union Minister Shri Rupala also addressed the ceremony. During the convocation, undergraduate-postgraduate & Ph.D. degrees were presented and Gold medals awarded to the best students. The Director and Vice Chancellor of the Institute, Dr. Dheer Singh and other dignitaries were present.

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