In September 2012, Verghese Kurien passed away after a brief spell of illness at the age of 90. This legendary figure, the recipient of the World Food Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Wateler Peace Prize, and India’s second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan, brought forth the “White Revolution”, the largest dairy development program in the world, revolutionizing milk production via co-operatives.
By combining the energies of the state, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation brought forth the house-hold dairy products brand “Amul”, which currently has more than 3.03 million farmers who contribute to its success. Amul competes with multinationals such as Nestle and India’s Britannia Industries.
The various concepts he brought into his industry, such as helping dairy cooperatives transition into financially viable units and establishing pre-eminence of the rural milkman or farmer over the middleman, were ground-breaking feats that convinced the Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, to trust Kurien’s leadership and establish the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1965, unleashing “Operation Flood”. The Institute of Rural Management was added to the dairy-complex of Anand in Gujarat.
Through homegrown talent, Kurien was able to develop the hugely successful and revolutionary business in the dairy industry that still lives on today. He managed to strategically dodge all of the political and bureaucratic clutter and ultimately be a legend in India today.
Here are two charts from the Amul website explaining the procedure of milk distribution
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
