Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah, on Wednesday, inaugurated several welfare schemes worth ₹300 crore for farmers amid the National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) diamond jubilee celebrations and the commemoration of the birth anniversary of Tribhuvandas Patel in Anand, Gujarat.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union home minister said the Cooperative Sector would empower one lakh new and existing dairies. Under the leadership of Prime Minister 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 PM.

The second white revolution will expand milk routes, he declared in the presence of Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh among several dignitaries.

He said 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 even though the average global milk availability per person is 117 kilograms.

Mr Shah said Tribhuvandas ji was a personality whose life is difficult to describe. Setting aside his personal interests, he worked with a unique vision of empowerment of the country’s poor farmers by rising above self-interest. Throughout his life, he 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.

The Home Minister further said that it is because of Tribhuvandas ji that five crore cattle rearers along with crores of farmers of the country, especially women, are prospering in life. Tribhuvandas ji created a small cooperative society that is today doing business worth thousands of crores of rupees by connecting two crore farmers of the country with the cooperative sector.

The Union home minister and minister of cooperation said in 1964, then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Amul Dairy and decided that not only Gujarat but livestock owners across the country should benefit from this successful model. He decided to establish the NDDB. In the last 60 years, the NDDB not only empowered and organised cooperative sector, farmers, mothers, and sisters across the country but has also raised awareness among them about their rights.

He said 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.

The minister said the NDDB accelerated the development of the rural sector in the country as well as made agriculture self-reliant. Tribhuvan ji had laid the foundation for the NDDB which has today become a very big institution not only in the country but in the world.