“It is a proud moment when people in other countries demand for Amul products. Amul is not just any other manufacturing business. Nor it is just a milk processing. But this is a model of an alternate economy. It has become inspiration worldwide,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after inaugurating Amul Dairy's chocolate plant and other projects. Addressing a large gathering at Mogar, near milk city Anand, Modi urged the home-grown dairy giant to emerge as one of the world's top three milk processors by 2022 when both independent India and Amul will turn 75.
“I urge cooperative leaders and professionals at Amul to make a resolve to take Amul's ranking in global milk processing from currently top 10 to one amongst top three,” Modi said. Amul had just last week, emerged as the ninth largest milk processor around the world, in the list of 20 top milk processors of 2018 released by the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN). The new factory is an expansion of an already functional confectionery unit of Amul near Anand. It is a £ 53.3 million premium chocolate plant. A nutritional food unit, the Anand Agriculture University Centre of Excellence in Food Processing, and a £2 million Vidya Dairy ice cream plant were launched simultaneously. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation is India's largest farmers' cooperative.
Modi credited Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, founder of the Kheda Milk Union, for creating the model. “Sardar Saheb sowed the seed for a third economic model, controlled neither by government nor capitalists. Instead, it was created with the cooperation of farmers and people and everybody was a part of it. This is one viable alternative to socialism and capitalism,” Modi said.
In Gujarat on Sunday, to inaugurate over £700 million worth of projects in Gujarat, Modi visited Anand, Bhuj, and Rajkot. He took a dig at the Congress and critics of Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity, which is to be unveiled in Gujarat on October 31. He said, “Critics and those with limited visionary ideas are now finding fault with the world's tallest statue. They see an 'election' even in that project. What they forget is that the Sardar never identified himself as belonging to a particular caste or creed,” Modi said.
Earlier, in Anand, where he inaugurated £110 million worth of projects, including a solar co-operative by 11 farmers in a village, he pointed out the efforts of the earlier governments to prevent the spread of co-operative movement in Saurashtra region. “In Kutch and Saurashtra, where animal husbandry is a major source of livelihood, it had become impossible to continue with the co-operative movement thanks to the policies of those in Gandhinagar. But since the BJP came to power in Gujarat, we have encouraged it and now the results are for everyone to see,” Modi said.
He again took a dig at the Congress, during the inauguration of the Mundra LNG Terminal in Anjar, Bhuj. He criticised the Opposition for drowning in negativity. “Some people only see the downside of cleanliness? When you talk of cleanliness they say it won't happen. Have we not made toilets? Aren't we working towards cleanliness? Those who wasted 70 years are saying nothing will happen without even attempting to make a start first,” he said. Modi added, “When I launched Swachhata Mission, they had their own doubts. But everyone is seeing the benefits. At least a beginning should be made. I am not here to waste time but to realise our mission to make Modern India which would have education for all children, jobs for all youths, irrigation for all farmers and affordable healthcare for the aged.”
In Rajkot, he dedicated the Mahatma Gandhi Museum to people. “Inauguration of this museum is an epoch-making moment. But everyone will wonder today- Didn't Rajkot and Gandhiji have any right on each other? Who were the elements that separated both of them? Though this land shaped Gandhiji with education, his life was reduced to just one event... garland him on October 2 and forget him,” Modi said.
He said that everyone in this world has the right to learn about Gandhi's childhood, his education and activities at that time. “All those who believe in humanity have the right to know why and because of whose vested interest was Gandhiji ignored.” Modi urged people to strive and make Rajkot the cleanest city of India. “This would be a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who had once said that given a choice, he would choose cleanliness over Independence. Children are the true ambassadors of cleanliness and once you decide, there is no power in the world that can stop Rajkot from becoming the cleanest city of India,” Modi said.
