Union Minister Amit Shah on Thursday introduced 'White Revolution 2.0', a significant initiative designed to transform India's dairy cooperative sector. The programme aims to empower women farmers, enhance local milk production, improve dairy infrastructure, and boost exports.
The initiative is part of the Modi government's first 100-day agenda for its third term. Shah highlighted the crucial role of women in the dairy sector, noting that some in Gujarat alone generate business worth Rs 60,000 crore. "This initiative will empower women and strengthen efforts against malnutrition," he said.
The rollout includes the nationwide introduction of RuPay Kisan Credit Cards for dairy farmers and the installation of micro-ATMs at cooperative societies. Standard operating procedures for the computerisation of 67,930 Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) were also unveiled.
The government aims to increase milk procurement by 50 per cent over the next five years through the creation and enhancement of 100,000 district cooperative societies and multi-purpose PACS, equipped with necessary infrastructure.
Initially, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) will invest Rs 40,000 per M-PACS to 1,000 M-PACS from its resources. Shah assured that the programme would receive full budgetary support, addressing concerns about funding. He also announced the nationwide expansion of the 'Cooperation among Cooperatives' initiative, which had been successfully piloted in Gujarat.
This programme will offer interest-free cash credit via RuPay-Kisan Credit Cards and distribute micro-ATMs to bring banking services directly to farmers. Shah emphasised the need for reforms in the cooperative sector, stating that the establishment of a dedicated cooperation ministry aims to modernise the sector and create job opportunities.
The initiative is expected to benefit approximately 130 million farmers across India.
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