Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, today inaugurated several farmer welfare schemes worth ₹300 crore during the National Dairy Development Board's (NDDB) diamond jubilee celebration along with the commemoration of birth anniversary of Shri Tribhuvandas Patel in Anand, Gujarat. On this occasion, several dignitaries were present, including the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) for the recently launched White Revolution 2.0 have been released, incorporating all the key farmer-friendly points outlined by the Prime Minister. He mentioned that Cooperative Sector will empower one lakh new and existing dairies, and the second white revolution will expand milk routes.

Shri Shah said that Tribhuvandas ji was a personality whose hardworking life is difficult to describe. Setting aside his personal interests, Shri Tribhuwandas Patel worked with a unique vision for the empowerment of the country's poor farmers. He worked for the empowerment of the poor farmers of the country by renouncing self. Throughout his life, Tribhuvandas ji distanced himself from personal gain and dedicated his efforts to connecting every farmer in the country with the true spirit of cooperation, achieving great success in this endeavor. Shri Shah said that it is because of Tribhuvan Das Ji that 5 crore cattle rearers of the country sleep peacefully and today crores of farmers of the country, especially women, are prospering. Tribhuvan Das Ji created a small cooperative society which today is doing business worth thousands of crores of rupees by connecting 2 crore farmers of the country with the cooperative sector.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that in 1964, former Prime Minister Shri. Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Amul Dairy and decided that not only Gujarat but livestock owners across the entire country should benefit from this successful model. Following this, Shastri ji decided to establish the NDDB. He said that in 60 years, NDDB has not only empowered and organised cooperative sector, farmers and mothers and sisters across the country, but has also worked to raise their awareness about their rights. He said that when animal husbandry is done through cooperatives, it not only brings prosperity to farmers but also addresses the issue of malnourished children in the country.  The trust built through Amul has not only empowered women but also laid the foundation for creating strong citizens by providing nutrition to children.

Shri Amit Shah said that NDDB accelerated the development of the rural sector and the country as well as made agriculture self-reliant. He said Tribhuvan ji had laid the foundation of NDDB which has today become a very big institution not only in the country but in the world. He said that in 1987, NDDB became an official institution, and from 1970 to 1996, it developed and implemented the Operation Flood program, which led to the White Revolution. He noted Amul is conducting annual business worth ₹60,000 crore today which was initially built on the very small shared capital from women. Shri Shah said that in 1964, when Lal Bahadur Shastri ji decided to establish NDDB, no one knew that it will grow akin to a small seed growing one day into a massive banyan tree. NDDB's liquid milk sales have reached 427 lakh liters per day, with procurement at 589 lakh liters per day. Its revenue has increased from ₹344 crore to ₹426 crore, and the net profit stands at ₹50 crore.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that NDDB has started processing vegetables, allowing the vegetables produced by our farmers to reach the entire world, and the profits will be distributed down to the grassroots under the cooperative model. He said that the Gobardhan scheme has led to the conservation and enhancement of our land, increased yields, improved farmer prosperity, and a cleaner environment. Gas and fertilizer are being produced from cow dung, and carbon credit payments are reaching our mothers and sisters. Shri Shah stated that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has implemented the Gobardhan scheme on the ground through visionary decision-making. He also mentioned that NDDB has registered 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).

Shri Amit Shah mentioned that after NDDB's initiative, all plants in the dairy sector will now be built in India under the Make in India program. He mentioned that today the foundation stone was laid for a Mother Dairy fruit and vegetable processing unit worth ₹210 crore. Additionally, the Badri Ghee from Uttarakhand and the Gir Ghee brand from Mother Dairy were also launched today. He said that branding the cooperative's products and preparing them to compete in the market with corporate goods is key to success. Today, our Amul brand holds the top position globally, which is a significant achievement for us. He also mentioned that farmers of apricots from Ladakh, apples from Himachal, and pineapples from Meghalaya will benefit from the initiatives launched today.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the Ministry of Cooperation has established three new national-level cooperative institutions. Such new initiatives can only be taken when the leadership is genuinely concerned about the farmers. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has implemented several initiatives and schemes in the cooperative sector. Currently, there are approximately 22 state federations and 231 district federations, along with 28 marketing dairies and 21 milk-producing companies operating in the sector.

Shri Amit Shah said that the Modi government is going to establish 2 lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), which will significantly strengthen our cooperative framework. He said that this initiative will enhance the strength of all entities in the cooperative sector. He highlighted that India has surpassed the United States of America with a milk production of 231 million tons, securing the top position in the world. Our milk production growth rate is 6%, while the global growth rate is only 2%. Today, eight crore rural families produce milk daily, but only one and a half crore are connected to the cooperative sector. He emphasized that this means the remaining 6.5 crore families are not receiving fair prices and are being exploited. Union Minister of Cooperation asserted that the government's goal will be to ensure that in the future, all eight crore farming families involved in milk production receive full compensation for their hard work and are able to connect with the cooperative sector.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that as a result of the campaign to empower cooperatives, the availability of milk in the country which was 40 kilograms per person in 1970, increased to 103 kilograms in 2011, and further rose to 167 kilograms per person in 2023. He noted that the average global milk availability per person is 117 kilograms.

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