New Delhi:
In a condolence message to Amul founder Verghese Kurien's wife, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as an icon of India's cooperative movement and the dairy industry.
Here is the full text of Prime Minister's message:
"It is with great sorrow that I learnt of the sad demise of your husband, Dr Verghese Kurien.
Dr Kurien was an outstanding and innovative manager and an exceptional human being. His contribution to the welfare of the farmer and agricultural production and development of the country is immeasurable. Dr Kurien was an icon of India's cooperative movement and the dairy industry.
In his long and illustrious career, Dr Kurien set up the Anand model of cooperative dairy development, engineered the White Revolution, and made India the largest milk producer in the world. His greatest contribution was to give a position of pre-eminence to the farmer and his or her interests rather than those of middlemen.
I personally had a rewarding association with Dr Kurien and benefitted from his sagacity and vision. He has left behind a void that would be very difficult to fill. Dr Kurien will always be widely respected and admired for his ability to inspire and bring out the best from ordinary people.
In this hour of bereavement, please accept my heartfelt condolences. May God give you the strength to bear this irreparable loss. I offer my deepest prayers for the peace of the departed soul."