Anand (Gujarat): As part of the celebrations marking the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) 2025, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has flagged off the “Cooperative Prosperity Journey: Celebration Caravan” from its headquarters in Anand, aimed at strengthening grassroots awareness about the cooperative movement.
Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB, flagged off the caravan in the presence of NDDB officials and staff. The initiative forms part of the official IYC 2025 calendar released by the Ministry of Cooperation and is aligned with the vision of “Sahakar se Samriddhi”, which focuses on promoting prosperity through cooperation.
The caravan has been designed to directly engage with dairy cooperatives and farmer members across regions, highlighting successful cooperative models and reinforcing the role of collective institutions in improving rural livelihoods. It is travelling through key milk unions and dairy cooperative societies across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, including Bedwa, Sarsa, Panchmahal, Dahod, Indore and Ujjain, before concluding its journey at the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Dairy Federation.
According to NDDB, the outreach programme is focused on communicating the importance of transparency, democratic participation of members and the transformative impact of the cooperative model in the dairy sector. In addition to farmer interactions, the caravan team has also engaged with school and college students to promote awareness of cooperative values among young people.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Meenesh Shah said the caravan marks the culmination of the IYC 2025 campaign and is closely aligned with the strategic objectives of the NDDB Act. He noted that initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Cooperation have contributed to enhanced awareness of the cooperative model across the country, with positive trends such as expanded cooperative coverage and increased milk procurement reflecting growing confidence of farmers in the cooperative system. Earlier, highlighting Dr. Kurien’s vision during National Milk Day celebrations, Dr. Shah had said the core objective of the dairy cooperative model has always been the social and economic upliftment of rural communities.
NDDB stated that such initiatives are part of its continued efforts to strengthen the cooperative ecosystem and support sustainable rural development through farmer-owned institutions.
