The Faculty of Dairy Technology, SKUAST-Jammu celebrated “National Milk Day” at R.S Pura campus. This special day honours the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, “Father of the White Revolution in India,” highlighting the achievement and importance of dairy sector in our country. The event was organized under able guidance and leadership of Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SKUAST-Jammu, Prof. (Dr) B.N. Tripathi.
Prof. J. S. Soodan, Dean, Faculty of Dairy Technology, while addressing the participants on National Milk Day, highlighted the role of dairy sector in livelihood, nutritional security and economy of the country. He appreciated the role played by Dr. Verghese Kurien in improving milk and dairy development infrastructure in the country. He further said that the real tribute to him will be to keep his legacy alive by handing over his work principles to our next generations and continue to work on them. He emphasized on the role of cooperative dairy development, especially the importance of collective efforts, strategic vision & marketing strategies in improving economic condition of the dairy farmers & dairy sector as a whole. He laid emphasis on breed improvement, optimizing feed cost ratio, improvement in animal health, environmental sustainability & value addition for improving the future of dairy sector.
Dr Sunil Kumar, Professor and Head, Faculty of Dairy Technology also spoke about the importance of the dairy sector in India. He discussed changing global and Indian scenario regarding production, processing and market analysis of dairy products in comparison to other sectors.
Earlier, the event started with the formal welcome address by Dr. Jasleen Kour, highlighting the significance of the day and milk as a daily food commodity, followed by lighting of traditional lamp. Dr. Alka Parmar presented a keynote thematic address on this occasion on the topic “Celebrating the Vital role Dairy Plays in Delivering the Quality Nutrition to Nourish the World”. She shared her knowledge on milk chemistry and milk as a treasure house of valuable nutrients, in her informative presentation offering newer perspectives on milk consumption and dispelling various myths associated with milk. The focus was on promoting nutritional awareness about milk and milk products and to encourage inclusion of dairy to our daily diet.
To foster talent among students, a poster-making competition was organized for UG students of the faculty where students showed active and enthusiastic participation and winners were felicitated with awards and certificates. Some students also shared their views on this occasion. To highlight the importance of quality assurance of milk, students performed a skit on milk adulteration, pesticides and drug residue detection. The event was attended and organised by all faculty members including Dr. Sabahu Noor and Dr. Banashree Naskar of the Faculty of Dairy Technology. Dr. Ameeta Salaria presented a formal vote of thanks to conclude the event.