Background: North western region of Rajasthan is mostly desert with large tracts of sand and sand dunes. The rainfall is scanty with almost no traces of surface water. Most of the rivers running through the region are seasonal. People have survived in the region for centuries, with primitive methods of agriculture and all the uncertainties and vagaries of monsoon. As a supplemental economic activity, cattle breeding and cattle grazing has occupied a significant place in the life of the people. Herds of cattle and other livestock have provided some sense of security and assurance to the farmers. However, the quantity of milk produced by the cattle was extremely limited, due to the non-availablity of sufficient water, nutritive feed and fodder. In the absence of facilities for processing and marketing of milk and milk products, the people used to convert milk into ghee and chach (butter milk). Ghee was sold in the local markets and chach was consumed by the family and the surplus was given to the cattle, mixed with cattle feed. Whenever, the monsoon failed and there was drought in the region, the farmers had been moving from place to place, in search of water in different parts of the state and in some cases to places in the neighbouring states.
Operation flood or white revolution: Amul of Anand has triggered the white revolution and is the most valued food brand in India. The story begins with the formation of village level co-operative milk societies in Kaira District of Gujrat for the collection of surplus milk from the farmers and other producers of milk in the village. Any quantity of milk from any of the members was welcome. The arrangement freed the members of the co-operative milk society from the problems and worries of marketing their surplus produce of milk. Thereafter, Kaira District Co-operative Milk Union was formed in 1946 to collect and process milk collected by the village level co-operative milk societies. All village level milk co-operative societies were members of district level co-operative milk union. Looking to the success of the Kaira District model, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Baroda, Sabarkantha and Surat joined the movement by forming villege level co-operative milk societies and district level co-operative milk unions in their districts. This was followed by the formation of Gujrat Co-operataive Milk Marketing Federation Ltd in 1950 as a state level apex body for marketing milk and milk products of all districts under the brand name of Amul. Millions of members of village level milk cooperatives, who are contributing milk to the system, are virtually, the owners of the whole conglomerate. District level co-operative milk unions are professionally managed and are responsible for the collection and processing of milk. All marketing is handled professionally by the state level cooperative milk marketing federation. The significant part is that 75% of the sale proceeds of Amul are shared by millions of members of the village level milk co-operatives and the remaining 25% is utilized by district level co-operatives and state level marketing federation for professional management, marketing and development. Amul has been responsible in a dramatic turn-around of the fortunes of the region by opening up large scale avenues of rural employment and bringing economic prosperity for members at the grassroots level.
Kaira District Co-operative Milk Union and village level milk co-operative societies were formed in 1946 under the guidance of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Tribhuvan Das Patel and Verghese Kurien. Tribhuvan Das Patel was one of the local farmers and a member of the village co-operative milk society. He was elected in 1946 as the first chairman of Kaira District Co-operative Milk Union Ltd and continued to handle that responsibility till he breathed his last. Gujrat Co-operaative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd was registered in 1950 with Verghese Kurien as the first chairman of the apex state level body and he continued to hold the responsibility of that office upto 2006. Veraghese Kurien had graduated as a mechanical engineer from college of engineering Guindy Madras in 1943 and subsequently, he got his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Michigan State University of USA in 1948
Dairy Development in Rajasthan: Rajasthan State Dairy Development Corporation was registered in 1975. Two years later, Rajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation was set up in 1977 for implementing the dairy development programmes in Rajasthan. Rajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation had adopted a three tier structure, similar to the Gujrat model for dairy development in Rajasthan. Milk producers’ dairy co-operative societies were formed at the village level. The main function of the village level milk co-operative societies was to procure milk from the members. At the second tier, district level milk producers unions were formed. The functions of district level milk producers unions were to develop village level milk co-operative societies, collection of milk from the village level milk co-operative societies and processing of milk for marketing. The apex state level body, Rajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation is responsible for marketing milk and milk products in the state and outside the state under the brand name “Saras” and to provide functional support to the district level co-operative unions.
Dr R K Bhasin: Dr RK Bhasin rose from the cadres of the animal husbandry department of the government of Rajasthan. He was holding senior positions of responsibility in animal husbandry department, when he was selected for promotion to the Indian Administrative Service and was subsequently entrusted with the onerous task of dairy development in Rajasthan as managing director of Rajasthan State Dairy Development Corporation. All types of trained people were needed for formation of milk producers co-operative societies at village level, operation of village level milk collection booths and chilling plants, development of milk routes, formation of district level milk unions, setting up and running of dairy plants, processing of milk and milk products and development of suitable devices and networks for marketing of the products. It was at this stage, that, Director of Manpower made a reference to us and Dr RK Bhasin contacted us for exploring the possibilities of training suitable persons for handling different technical functions in the dairy development programme.
We met at Jaipur sometimes in 1976. Rajasthan happens to have the highest livestock population in the country. With his long association with the animal husbandry department of Rajasthan, Dr RK Bhasin was deeply concerned about improvements in cattle breeding, promotion of local breeds of cattle and production of nutritive fodder and cattle feed and felt that improved breeds of cattle and cattle feed will go a long way in successful implementation of the dairy development programme. With the constitution of village level co-operative milk societies and district level co-operative milk unions, a large number of dairy plants, chilling plants and cattle feed plants were coming up all over the state and there was an urgent need to involve technical persons, who could handle the operation and maintenance of dairy plants and machinery, chilling plants, transport vehicles of milk, cattle feed plants and other associated plants and equipment of dairy development corporation.
Post Diploma Course in Dairy Technology: A large number of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering diploma holders were unemployed at that time. Therefore, a one year sandwich type post-diploma course was developed in close collaboration with dairy development corporation for the development of sufficient knowledge and skills in the trainees, to enable them to handle the process of installation and maintenance of the plant and machinery of dairy plants and other associated units. The trainees for the first batch of fifteen diploma holders of electrical and mechanical engineering were selected by dairy development corporation and were sponsored for undergoing the post diploma course at Jodhpur Polytechnic from July 1976 to June 1977. The course was run with the active participation of officers of dairy development corporation to ensure that it met the specific needs of dairy plants and associated installations. The session was divided into four terms of three months each. First and Third terms were conducted at Jodhpur Polytechnic to familiarize the trainees with the working of the system, processing of milk and milk products and operational and maintenance requirements of plant and machinery of dairy plants and other associated installations. Services of one officer of the dairy development corporation was made available at Jodhpur Polytechnic, for providing necessary inputs and to cover specific dairy related subjects. Second and fourth terms were devoted entirely for hands on, shop floor work in the dairy plants of the state and outside the state for operation and maintenance of the dairy plants and machinery and other associated installations.. One of the staff members of Jodhpur Polytechnic, associated with the training of the post diploma course moved with the students during the second and fourth terms.
After the completion of the course, the trainees were absorbed in regular cadres of the dairy development corporation and were placed on different dairy plants and other associated installations coming up in the state. The trainees were paid stipends of Rs 400 per month during the post diploma course, which was extremely helpful in their hard work and unflinching dedication, during the course.