IRMA Celebrates 45th Foundation Day

Anand :  Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) marked its 45th Foundation Day. The occasion was commemorated with the 12th Dr Verghese Kurien Memorial Lecture, delivered by Suresh Prabhu, Former Union Cabinet Minister at the IRMA Auditorium in Anand. The Honourable former cabinet minister is also an Agricultural Transformation Specialist with expertise in Water Management, Cooperative Organisations, and Economic Empowerment of Agricultural Communities.

Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, IRMA and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), along with Dr Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA, Members of the IRMA Society and Board, faculty members, students of IRMA’s academic programmes, and invited dignitaries graced the occasion.

Dr Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA, welcomed the dignitaries to the 45th Foundation Day and 12th Dr Verghese Kurien Memorial Lecture. Dr Dash emphasized that, “Dr Kurien may have left us, but his legacy remains through the institutions he built, such as IRMA, and the people whose lives he touched—from millions of farmers to his devoted students. His vision continues to inspire us as we strive to make a difference in rural development.”

Following this, Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, IRMA, addressed the gathering, underscoring Dr Kurien’s profound impact on rural transformation. He remarked, “Dr Kurien’s legacy is one of empowerment and transformation. He will always be remembered for his unwavering commitment to uplifting dairy farmers and driving their progress. The institutions he established stand as a testament to his vision, empowering milk producers and transforming rural India. The founding of IRMA in 1979 was a true realisation of Dr Kurien’s dream—to nurture professionals dedicated to rural management and to champion the cause of sustainable rural development.”

Speaking on the vision for Viksit Bharat 2047,  Suresh Prabhu said, “Today, India is the fifth largest economy in the world in terms of our GDP, and soon we will become the third largest economy globally. But real transformation cannot just happen with infrastructure but by transforming the lives of people. Development has to be people-centric. We need to build a development model that incorporates the needs of what people really want.”

Prabhu further highlighted the remarkable legacy of Dr Verghese Kurien as an inspiration for India’s development journey. “Dr Kurien’s life and his successful models of cooperative development can guide us in creating a people-centric growth trajectory. His work demonstrated how empowering communities can lead to lasting prosperity. Dr Kurien didn’t die as a billionaire, but he lives on in the hearts of billions for eternity,” he said.

The former cabinet minister also emphasised the necessity of aligning GDP growth with rising per capita income, for our development model, if per capita income rises first, then the GDP will automatically rise. Cooperatives are useful for achieving our objective of creating a developed country where people benefit first.”

On the topic of climate change, Prabhu said, “Methane emissions need to be reduced. It is a greenhouse gas and a major cause of climate change. The biggest threat to livelihoods, especially for vulnerable communities, is climate change. It’s also a threat to biodiversity. Therefore, we need to climate-proof agriculture and create a new paradigm in which we live. The focus should be on building a developed India by 2047, one that addresses climate change and shields our vulnerable populations, while also transforming the energy mix.”

Dr Verghese Kurien Memorial Lecture has been instituted in the fond memory of Dr Verghese Kurien, the founder chairman of IRMA and widely known as the Father of the White Revolution in India. Over the years, luminaries such as Dr MS Swaminathan, Dr Raghuram Rajan, Dr Ramesh Chand, Dr Krishnamurthy V Subramanian, Arun Maria, and Dr Shreekant Sambrani, have each delivered an insightful address to mark the occasion.