Anand (Gujarat), Sep 9 : Verghese Kurien, who brought milk revolution in the country, died Sunday in a hospital in Nadiad following a prolonged illness, an official said. He was 91.
He is survived by wife Molly and daughter Nirmala, said Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) Managing Director R.S. Sodhi.
"He had been ailing with kidney problems since quite some time and was admitted to a speciality hospital in Nadiad. He passed away around 2 a.m. today (Sunday)," Sodhi told IANS.
Kurien's body was brought Sunday morning to Anand.
The funeral shall be held at 4 p.m., Sodhi said.
Kurien had served as head of both - National Dairy Development Board and the GCMMF - for many decades and was the architect of the White Revolution of the 1970s which catapulted India as among the top milk producers in the world.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh described Dr. Kurien as an outstanding and innovative manager and an exceptional human being.
"His contribution to the welfare of the farmer and agricultural production and development of the country is immeasurable. Dr Kurien was an icon of India's cooperative movement and the dairy industry.
"In his long and illustrious career, Dr. Kurien set up the Anand model of cooperative dairy development, engineered the White Revolution, and made India the largest milk producer in the world. His greatest contribution was to give a position of pre-eminence to the farmer and his or her interests rather than those of middlemen.
"He has left behind a void that would be very difficult to fill. Dr. Kurien will always be widely respected and admired for his ability to inspire and bring out the best from ordinary people", said Dr Singh in a condolence message sent to Dr Kurien's wife Molly Kurien.
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