Kurien decides to step down
By agencies   |   Tuesday, 06 June 2006, 19:30 IST
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AHMEDABAD: The man who revolutionized the cooperative movement and the founder of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has decided to step down as chairman of the Institute of Rural Management (IRMA). Verghese Kurien said in his written statement, “ Today, I announce my decision to resign from the chairmanship of IRMA board of Governors. I will be sending my resignation when the IRMA board meets on June 8.” He has resigned from the chairmanship of GCMMF last month after being its founder and chairman for 32 years. It is said that his well wishers advised Kurien’s decision to step down a few days ago. Dr. Verghese Kurien is called the "father of the white revolution" in India. He is credited with architecting Operation Flood, the largest dairy development program in the world. Verghese Kurien, set up the Anand model of cooperative dairy development, engineered the White Revolution in India, and made India the largest milk producer in the world. When he came back to India, he was posted as a Dairy Engineer at the government creamery, Anand, in May 1949. Around the same time, the infant cooperative dairy, Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited (KDCMPUL), now famous as AMUL was fighting a battle with the privately owned Polson Dairy. Young Kurien, fed up with being at the government creamery, which held no challenge, volunteered to help Tribhuvandas Patel, the Chairman of KDCMPUL, to set up a processing plant. This marked the birth of AMUL, today the world’s largest dairy cooperative.

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