The Hindu Business Line : Lessons from Anand for Pentagon!

A top Pentagon official is coming on an official mission to Anand on Friday to get first-hand information about the Amul model of rural development from India's `Milkman,' Dr Varghese Kurien.

No, it is not retirement planning for Mr Craig Tiedman, a senior official in the Afghanistan Reachbach Office of the US Department of Defence. Nor has the Pentagon decided to diversify into setting up co-operative dairies.

The Pentagon is involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the official is coming to Anand to study Amul, one of the finest models of rural development in India, and see if the US can get some ideas on what to do in the war-torn country.

The US official will be in Anand on March 10 and a meeting with Dr Kurien has been lined up for him, a source in the Milkman's office told Business Line on Wednesday.

Mr Tiedman will be taken to a village centre to understand how the co-operative dairy system works. During his visit, he will also learn about the Telemedicine and Village Resource Centres that have been set up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in different parts of the country.

Replicating Amul model

Incidentally, this is not the only foreign interest in Amul in recent times. The World Bank Vice-President (South Asia), Mr Praful C. Patel, and delegations from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Pakistan and Belgium have also chosen to wing down to Anand to study Amul.

"The Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, is keenly interested in rural development and women's empowerment in his country.

That may not appear to be in consonance with his image of a military dictator, but the Pakistani delegation officials told us that General Musharraf had specifically instructed them to examine the Amul model," the source in Dr Kurien's office said.

More Stories on : Business Models | Dairy & Dairy Products | Co-operatives

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Different strokes

`No single entity called Tata Group'

Meet soon on EPF investment

Temasek picks 9.9% stake in Tata Tele

TRAI recommends Rs 200 one-time fee for number portability

Bull run hits pause button

It's a correction: Chidambaram

55,000 new fixed line connections added in Feb

Lessons from Anand for Pentagon!