“Dilip Rath has been appointed as Chairman of National Dairy Development Board with effect from 01.12.2016 for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier”, a notification by the by Central Government reads.
Rath has been continuing as interim Chairman since August and this notification has confirmed him in his job for two years. He joined NDDB as managing director in 2011 after taking premature retirement from the Indian Administrative service (IAS).
Founded by Dr. Verghese Kurien the National Dairy Development Board is an institution of national importance set up by an Act of Parliament of India. The main office is in Anand, Gujarat with regional offices throughout the country.
Nanda Kumar of the IAS, was the last chairman, who resigned after two years into his tenure. His predecessors were non-bureaucrat chairmen for decades including Verghese Kurien and his protégé Amrita Patel
NDDB came into existence as the late Lal Bahadur Shastri wanted to extend the success of the Kaira Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Amul) to other parts of India.
NDDB has now integrated 1,17,575 dairy co-operatives in what it calls the Anand Pattern, linking the village society to the state federations in a three-tier structure.