Northeast India’s largest dairy cooperative, Purabi Dairy, hosted a felicitation ceremony at its premises on November 30 to honor four recipients of the prestigious National Gopal Ratna Awards.
The event recognized their dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to advancing the dairy sector in the region. The four awardees are affiliated with Purabi Dairy, which continues to support and empower dairy farmers across Assam through its extensive network and initiatives.
Two farmers from Assam, an AI technician and a dairy cooperative were awarded the National Gopal Ratna Awards (NGRA), one of the highest national awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector. The awards were handed over by Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the presence of SP Singh Baghel and George Kurian, minister of state, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, at a function in New Delhi as part of the National Milk Day celebrations on November 26.
Dairy farmers Juna Tamuli Barman of Bajali and Junuma Mali of Morigaon won the Best Dairy farmer rearing indigenous cattle/buffalo breeds under the Special NER category. Md Abdur Rahim of Kamrup won Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) award under the Special NER category. Kamdhenu Dugdha Utpadak Samabay Samitee Ltd of Nityananda, Bajali, won the Best Dairy Cooperative Society award under the Special NER category. The milk producers and the dairy cooperative societies are all affiliated to West Assam Milk Producers Cooperative Union Limited (WAMUL).
WAMUL setup as part of Operation Flood programme of NDDB by Dr. Verghese Kurien, is now on its way to glory. It is most appropriate that on his birthday, the cooperative model’s success is being celebrated, and the best award-winning stakeholders happen to be stakeholders in WAMUL – a cooperative better known by its brand ‘Purabi’.
A few months ago, Junuma Mali’s inspiring journey was featured in Purabi Dairy’s video documentary series, an initiative by WAMUL that celebrates the success stories of dairy farmers who exemplify dedication and resilience in transforming the dairy sector in Assam.
Speaking about the success of the recipients, SK Parida, managing director of WAMUL, said, “These awards are a testament to the unwavering dedication and hard work of our dairy farmers and technicians. WAMUL team which includes the Milk Procurement Officers (MPO), 15 nos of Veterinary Executives (VE), Feed and Fodder experts and a strong team of more than 380 nos of Mobile AI Technicians (MAIT) have been constantly supporting the farmers and the cooperatives. At WAMUL, we remain committed to nurturing such excellence and innovation in the dairy sector. I encourage more farmers and cooperatives to join hands with us, so together we can build a resilient and thriving dairy ecosystem in Assam.”
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, had initiated the ‘Rashtriya Gokul Mission’, under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development.
All the 4 Awards consist of a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh each, which is a Special Award for North Eastern Region, along with a Certificate of merit and a memento. The winners were selected out of a total of 2,574 applications received.
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