SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN DAIRY SECTOR

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Support for Women in Dairy Sector — UPSC Study Note

1. At a Glance

• Women constitute ~70% of the workforce in India's dairy farming, yet remain under-represented in organised cooperative structures; targeted schemes seek to formalise and empower them. [S1][S2]
• Flagship vehicle: "White Revolution 2.0" launched by the Ministry of Cooperation, with women's empowerment as one of three pillars (cooperative coverage, employment generation, women empowerment). [S1]
• UPSC relevance: cross-cuts GS-II (welfare schemes, cooperatives), GS-III (agriculture & allied sector, food processing) and GS-I (women empowerment).

2. Why in the News

• PIB release dated 10 February 2026 (Ministry of Cooperation) detailed the women-centric architecture of White Revolution 2.0, including new DCS targets and procurement goals. [S1]
• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for White Revolution 2.0 launched on 19 September 2024. [S2]

3. Background & Evolution

• Operation Flood (1970) under Dr. Verghese Kurien / NDDB — original "White Revolution" made India the world's largest milk producer; Anand pattern (Amul) institutionalised women's participation. [S1]
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) restructured/revised by Cabinet (2025) to strengthen cooperative infrastructure. [S3]
• Ministry of Cooperation (created July 2021) took charge of cooperative-led dairy expansion; White Revolution 2.0 SOP issued 19.09.2024. [S2]

4. Core Static Facts

• Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation (in coordination with Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and NDDB). [S1][S2]
• Apex body: National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand, Gujarat — statutory body under NDDB Act, 1987. [S2]
• White Revolution 2.0 target: increase milk procurement by dairy cooperatives by 50% over 5 years, reaching 1007 lakh kg/day by 2028-29. [S1]
• Infrastructure target: 75,000 new Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCSs) in uncovered panchayats/villages + strengthening of 46,422 existing DCSs. [S1][S2]
• Women in cooperatives: more than 48,000 women-led DCSs already operate at village level. [S2]
• MPOs facilitated by NDDB: 22 Milk Producer Organisations; 15 are all-women; collectively 8.7 lakh producer members across 22,277 villages; women = 71% of producers; 65% smallholders. [S2]
• Strategy: two-pronged — (i) Expanding coverage (ii) Deepening reach of dairy cooperatives. [S1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic - Dairy is the single largest agricultural commodity contributing to rural GDP; cooperative expansion plugs women into formal markets and assured prices. [S1] - Procurement target of 1007 lakh kg/day by 2028-29 widens market access for unorganised producers. [S1]

Social / Gender - ~70% of dairy workforce are women; formalisation through DCS converts unpaid family labour into named cooperative members with voting rights. [S1] - Women-led MPOs (15 of 22) place women on Producer Director boards, building leadership pipelines. [S2]

Administrative - Convergence between Ministry of Cooperation, NDDB, State Cooperative Dairy Federations and Panchayats (target: DCS in every uncovered panchayat). [S1] - Bottleneck: states with weak cooperative base (Eastern/NE India) lag — addressed by "deepening reach" leg. [S1]

Nutrition / Health - White Revolution 2.0 explicitly links cooperative expansion to addressing malnutrition via increased milk availability. [S1]

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 19 Sep 2024: SOP for White Revolution 2.0 released by Ministry of Cooperation. [S2]
• 10 Feb 2026: PIB statement detailing women-empowerment architecture under White Revolution 2.0. [S1]
• 2025: Cabinet approved Revised NPDD with enhanced outlay for dairy infrastructure. [S3]

7. Prelims Hooks

• Ministry of Cooperation was carved out in July 2021. [S1]
• NDDB is headquartered at Anand, Gujarat, set up under the NDDB Act, 1987. [S2]
• White Revolution 2.0 target year: 2028-29; procurement target 1007 lakh kg/day. [S1]
• New DCSs to be set up: 75,000; existing DCSs to be strengthened: 46,422. [S1][S2]
• Existing women-led DCSs in India: over 48,000. [S2]
• Of 22 NDDB-facilitated MPOs, 15 are all-women MPOs. [S2]
• Women = 71% of producer members in NDDB-facilitated MPOs; smallholders = 65%. [S2]
• Original White Revolution = Operation Flood, launched 1970, led by Dr. Verghese Kurien. [S1]
• SOP for White Revolution 2.0 launched: 19 September 2024. [S2]
• Two strategies of WR 2.0: expanding coverage + deepening reach of dairy cooperatives. [S1]

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; Cooperatives (post-97th CAA & Ministry of Cooperation).
• GS-III: Agriculture & allied sector — animal husbandry, food processing, supply chain.
• GS-I: Role of women & women's organisations.
• Probable stems: 1. "Cooperative-led dairy development has been a quiet engine of rural women's empowerment in India. Discuss with reference to White Revolution 2.0." (GS-I/II, 250 words) 2. "Evaluate the role of NDDB in formalising women's participation in India's dairy economy." (GS-III, 150 words) 3. "Examine how the Ministry of Cooperation's White Revolution 2.0 differs in objectives and methods from Operation Flood." (GS-III, 250 words)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Operation Flood / Dr. Verghese Kurien — historical antecedent.
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) — parallel scheme.
• 97th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011 — cooperatives as fundamental right (Art. 19(1)(c)).
• Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023 — governance reform.
• PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) — allied sector formalisation.
• National Livestock Mission & Rashtriya Gokul Mission — animal husbandry vertical.
• DAY-NRLM SHGs — women's collectivisation, complementary to dairy MPOs.
• A-HIDF (Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund) — financing pillar.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• White Revolution 2.0 is under Ministry of Cooperation, NOT Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (which runs NPDD/RGM).
• Do not confuse Operation Flood (1970) with Operation Greens (2018) — the latter is for tomato-onion-potato.
• NDDB is a statutory body (1987 Act), not a constitutional body, and not a PSU.
• The 1007 lakh kg/day is dairy cooperative procurement, not total national milk production.
• "Women-led DCSs (48,000+)" ≠ all-women MPOs (15) — different scales/units.

11. Sources

• [S1] Support for Women in Dairy Sector — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2225903&reg=3&lang=1 — (tier: 1)
• [S2] Women in Dairy Cooperative Societies — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2238399&reg=1&lang=1 — (tier: 1)
• [S3] Cabinet approves Revised National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2112791 — (tier: 1)