National Dairy Development Board Chairperson Amrita Patel has got 3-month extension till February as the Government’s selection committee has not been able to finalise her successor so far.
70-year-old Patel’s term expired last month. She has served three terms of five years each as chairman of the Gujarat-based apex dairy policy-making body and had expressed unwillingness to continue for another term.
“Since the selection committee was taking time to shortlist candidates to head NDDB, the Agriculture Ministry had moved a proposal seeking extension of Patel’s tenure for three months. The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the same,” a senior Agriculture Ministry official said.
The government is looking for third chairman of the NDDB after a gap of 15 years. The selection committee formed under Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth is on the job. The panel will soon shortlist the candidates, the official said.
Padma Bhushan awardee, Patel succeeded ‘India’s milkman’, late Verghese Kurien as chairman of NDDB in 1998 at the age of 55. She was again re-nominated in 2003 and 2008.
NDDB was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1965 mainly to replicate the success of the Kaira Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Amul) in other parts of the country. NDDB controls the Rs 5,500 crore Mother Dairy, Delhi.
Currently, NDDB is implementing the government’s Rs 2,250 crore National Dairy Plan (NDP) in 14 states to boost milk production.