BharatNotes
Operation Flood
/ˌɒpəˈreɪʃən flʌd/The world's largest dairy development programme, launched on 13 January 1970 under the leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien, which transformed India from a milk-deficit nation into the world's largest milk producer through a three-tier cooperative model (village, district, state) inspired by the Amul experiment in Gujarat.
Context & Background
Three phases — Phase I (1970–80, four metros), Phase II (1981–85, expanded to 136 milk sheds), Phase III (1985–96, consolidation); India overtook the USA as the world's largest milk producer in 1998; the programme empowered millions of small farmers by providing a stable income and eliminating exploitative middlemen.
UPSC Exam Relevance
GS1 (Post-Independence India) and GS3 (Agriculture/Food Processing). Prelims: tested on phases, dates, and Kurien's role. Mains: asked to compare with the Green Revolution in terms of equity, or to analyse the cooperative model as a development strategy.
