Father of White Revolution V Kurien passes away at 90

He was 90 and is survived by wife Molly Kurien and daughter Nirmala.

"Dr Kurien's body was brought to his residence at around 4 AM and thereafter has been put in Sardar Hall of Amul dairy in Anand, where people shall pay homage. The cremation is scheduled to take place at 4.30 PM today," Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) officials said, adding that he died at around 1.15 AM.

Founder Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Kurien led 'Operation Flood' to make India the biggest milk producing nation in the world, besides making Amul dairy a household name.

His professional life was dedicated to empower the Indian farmers through co-operatives.

President Pranab Mukherjee expressed grief at the demise of Kurien and hailed him as the one who made enormous contribution to the fields of agriculture, rural development and dairy.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Vice President Hamid Ansari also expressed their condolences on his death.

Terming him as an icon of Indian co-operative movement and dairy industry, Singh said in his long and illustrious career, Dr Kurien set up the Anand model of co-operative dairy development and engineered the white revolution.

Kurien's 90th birthday was celebrated in a big way at his residence in Anand by the GCMMF on November 26, last year.