NATIONAL MILK DAY

It is observed annually on 26^th November.
This day underscores the transformative impact of India’s dairy sector, a key contributor to nutritional security, rural empowerment, and economic growth.
It commemorates the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien.
About Dr Verghese Kurien:
- He is celebrated as the "Father of the White Revolution" in India.
- Born: on 26^th November 1921, in Kozhikode, Kerala,
- He was instrumental in transforming India from a milkdeficient nation to the world's largest producer of milk.
He was the first chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), constituted in 1965, under Prime Ministership of Hon’ble Lal Bahadur Shastri.

About Operation Flood:

It was a dairy development program that transformed India from a milk-deficient country to the world's largest milk producer.
It is also known as the White Revolution.
It was implemented in the following phases:
- Phase I (1970–1980) was financed by the sale of skimmed milk powder and butter oil donated by the European Union (then the European Economic Community) through the World Food Program.
- Phase II (1981–1985) increased the milk-sheds from 18 to 136; urban markets expanded the outlets for milk to 290. By the end of 1985, a self-sustaining system of 43,000 village cooperatives with 4,250,000 milk producers were covered.
- Phase III (1985–1996) enabled dairy cooperatives to expand and strengthen the infrastructure required to procure and market increasing volumes of milk. This phase added 30000 new dairy cooperatives which led to 73000.