IRMA chairman Dilip Rath awarded PhD in management by Sardar Patel University

Ahmedabad: Dilip Rath, chairman of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) has been awarded a PhD degree in Management by the Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, for his thesis “Livelihood through Dairy Development by Inclusive Producer Institutions and Enabling Policy Environment in Select Regions of India”. The thesis reflects his immense experience in handling livelihood issues of rural dairy farmers to ensure they get a fair share of consumer price.

Rath’s research focuses on the importance of dairying as a source of rural livelihood and the need for fair and transparent institutional structures for milk producers. His experience with dairy development in the country over many decades indicates that progress is achieved if producers get an assured market. It not only enhances the income of dairy farmers but also induces milk production and marketable surplus even in less developed areas.

His research also highlights the active involvement of the government through appropriate schemes and policies, which created an enabling environment thereby providing the much-needed impetus for dairy development initiatives for sustainable livelihood.

The thesis emphasises the advent of Milk Producer Companies under the Companies Act, which has largely addressed the issues and constraints faced by the traditional dairy cooperatives and proved to be an effective vehicle for promoting dairying.

The Govt may pay attention and consider adopting the recommendations made by Shri Rath to safeguard the interest of dairy farmers in backward areas having potential for milk production. Absence of better livelihood opportunity is the major reason behind this socio-economic backwardness and dairying remain the only hope.

Shri Rath did his graduation in Economics with Honours and completed his Masters’s in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Later he went on to do MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1979 and served in different capacities under the State Governments of West Bengal, Odisha and the Central Government. He was previously Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd., Indian Immunologicals Ltd., NDDB Dairy Services, IDMC Ltd. and Pristine Biologicals (NZ) Ltd.

He was responsible for monitoring the milk situation in the country in the context of the inflation of essential commodities. He was closely involved in the project conceptualization and formulation of the National Dairy Plan. He acted as Mission Director in the World Bank-assisted the scheme, the National Dairy Plan which was implemented by the Govt. of

India through NDDB. He was unanimously elected to the Board of International Dairy Federation in November 2020 during the General Assembly of International Dairy Federation (IDF).

Rath is RIMA chairman since July 2017 and his acclaimed research articles include – Prospects & Strategies for Accelerating the Growth of the Agriculture and Allied Sector in Odisha with Specific Reference to Dairying, Manure Management Value Chain – An Efficient Model for Doubling of Farmers’  Income, Solarizing Agriculture through Cooperative Model and Ethnoveterinary Medicine for Responsible Dairying.