National Milk Day 2021: History and significance of day marking birth anniversary of Dr Verghese Kurien

Every year on 26 November, National Milk Day is celebrated across the country. On this day, the importance of milk and how it helps the human body is highlighted. This special day is observed with the aim of providing information concerning the need and importance of milk in human life. All the more, milk is the first food that a child consumes right after birth. It also becomes the main food or drink that is consumed throughout life. Objective of this day: National Milk Day is observed and celebrated to honour Dr Verghese Kurien. He was the father of India’s White Revolution. The day marks Kurien’s birth anniversary. Who was Dr Verghese Kurien? He is known to be the ‘Father of the White Revolution’ in India. He was a social entrepreneur who led Operation Flood, which became the largest agricultural dairy development programme across the world. Through this operation, India transformed into the largest milk producer in the world from a milk-deficient country. History and Significance: Looking at Kurien’s hard work, all the dairy majors of the country along with Indian Dairy Association came together and selected 26 November as National Milk Day in the year 2014. The day was solely to pay tribute and acknowledge the Father of the White Revolution as the day marks his birth anniversary. Furthermore, Kurien also played an important role in the formation of Amul. Around 65 years ago, Amul broke the local trade cartel, thus paving the way for dairy co-operative sectors to make headway in Gujarat. From 1973 to 2006, he served as the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). How will the day be celebrated in India this year? This year, the day will be commemorated by the Union government as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The National Gopal Ratna awards will be distributed by the government at Anand’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) campus.