Story behind the white revolution in india

Story behind the White Revolution in India

The White Revolution played a significant role in improving the living standard of the rural population and the economy.

By 26th Nov, 2015 | 06:23 pm

After the success of the Green Revolution which made India independent in terms of food production, the Indian government took up Operation Flood or the White Revolution to increase the production of milk to make India one of the largest producers of milk in the world. The phenomenal increase of milk production in the country is due to the White Revolution.

The White Revolution played a significant role in improving the living standard of the rural population and the economy. It helped to transform the lives of more than 13.4 million farmers. It also helped women empower themselves and their families. Today, the Dairy Co-operative Network includes 177 milk unions which operate in over 346 districts covering about 1,28,799 villages.

Dr. Verghese Kurien (Image source: www.thetimes.co.uk)

This all started when Dr Verghese Kurien, a diary engineer who had finished his studies abroad, came in touch with the Chairman of a milk cooperative in Gujarat. His motto was to make the milk cooperative modern and competitive to sustain the increasing demands of the population. Later, he stayed back in a small town name Anand in Gujarat to fulfil the dreams of poor farmers. Today, Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) organised by Dr Kurien has become a household name in India.

The White Revolution was not just about milk production. It was an operation based on the search for excellence in the kind of work done by farmers. It was about good cattle feed, good breeding of milch cattle which gave larger quantities of milk, artificial insemination to ensure that the breeds improved, better packaging to ensure longer life of milk, professional and effective ways of marketing to increase the sale and production of world-class products.

What we should acknowledge is how this movement changed the face of rural areas. Today, if you go to any dairy cooperative, you will see a long queue of women and men waiting to pour their milk. In that queue, you will not see any kind of discrimination of gender and caste. The most important change of the White Revolution was democracy; everybody was treated the same in the face of development. With the increasing number of rural people taking an initiative in various dairy projects, the day is not far when India will emerge as the largest producer of milk in the world.

Also Read: Green Revolution: Making India Food Independent

Tejal Mistry