Calicut, Madras Presidency, British India (now Kozhikode, Kerala, India)
Died
9 September 2012(2012-09-09) (aged 90)
Nadiad, Gujarat, India
Nationality
Indian
Alma mater
University of Madras
Michigan State University
Occupation(s)
dairy engineer social entrepeneur
Employer
Amul
Organisations
National Dairy Development Board
Institute of Rural Management Anand
National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India
Known for
White Revolution in India
Awards
Ramon Magsaysay Award (1964) Padma Shri (1965) Padma Bhushan (1966) World Food Prize (1989) Order of Agricultural Merit (1997) Padma Vibhushan (1999)
Website
www.drkurien.com
Verghese Kurien (26 November 1921 – 9 September 2012) was an Indian dairy engineer and social entrepreneur who led initiatives that contributed to the extensive increase in milk production termed the White Revolution.
Kurien graduated in physics from University of Madras in 1940 and received his masters in mechanical engineering from University of Michigan in 1947. In 1949, Kurien was sent by the Government of India to run its experimental creamery at Anand where he set up the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited in 1950 which later became Amul. Amul organised dairy farmers in the villages as a part of a cooperative and linked them to consumers directly. The dairy cooperative was successful in increasing milk production as consumers paid in cash to dairy farmers who controlled the marketing, procurement, and processing of milk and milk products as the owners of the cooperative.
In 1965, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was established with Kurien as the head to replicate the Anand co-operative scheme nationwide. In 1979, he founded the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) to groom managers for the cooperatives. Kurien helped set up similar cooperatives across India which made dairy farming one of the largest self-sustaining industries and employment generators in rural areas. This led to a multi-fold increased milk output over the next few decades which helped India become the world's largest milk producer in 1998. For his contributions in increasing the dairy output, Kurian is known as the "Father of the White Revolution" in India. The co-operative model was later applied successfully to other industries such as edible oils.
He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1964 and World Food Prize in 1989. In 1999, he received Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour. He was conferred the Order of Agricultural Merit by the French Government in 1997.
VergheseKurien (26 November 1921 – 9 September 2012) was an Indian dairy engineer and social entrepreneur who led initiatives that contributed to the...
hired VergheseKurien in 1949, initially as the general manager, where Kurien guided the technical and marketing efforts of the cooperative. Kurien briefly...
appointed the Chairman of NDDB in 2021. The NDDB was founded by Dr. VergheseKurien in 1965. The prime minister of India at that time, Lal Bahadur Shastri...
rural organizations. IRMA was founded with the belief, borne out by VergheseKurien’s work in the dairy co-operatives which revolutionized the dairy industry...
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the time of the poll were B. K. S. Iyengar (93) Ravi Shankar (92), VergheseKurien (90), R. K. Laxman (90), Dilip Kumar (89), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (87)...
Rhodes scholars Eric Prabhakar and Tanjore R. Anantharaman, pioneers VergheseKurien, Raj Reddy and M. S. Swaminathan, economist K. N. Raj and C. Rangarajan...
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managing director, Cochin International Airport Limited VergheseKurien, social entrepreneur Kurien Syrian Christians This page or section lists people that...
contemplated returning to the United States to begin afresh. His friend VergheseKurien, convinced him to visit Amul "for a week or so, to see how he liked...
February 1979 - foundation stone laid down for dairy plant expansion by VergheseKurien, Chairman of GCMMF Ltd. Anand, Chairman National Dairy Development...
Chancellor of the University of Kerala from 1957 to 1959. His nephew, VergheseKurien, is generally recognized as the architect of India's White Revolution...
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