Ground report: NDRI observes National Milk Day with first-ever dairy festival

The ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, celebrated its first-ever ‘Dairy Festival-2025’ on Wednesday to mark National Milk Day, drawing strong public participation and enthusiasm. The festival aimed to bring the institute’s research achievements, dairy entrepreneurship innovations, value-added products and start-up initiatives closer to the community.

The ICAR-NDRI director, Dr Dheer Singh, inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp and visiting the exhibition stalls. “National Milk Day is observed on November 26 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr Verghese Kurien, the visionary behind India’s White Revolution and to highlight the importance of milk in India’s economy,” he said.

Dr Singh said the institute strives to “connect science, innovation and society”. He said the Dairy Festival not only showcased NDRI’s research contributions but also sought to inspire youth and farmers to explore new technologies, start-up opportunities and value-added dairy products.

The joint director, Dr Ashish Kumar Singh, said an exhibition featured a wide range of technologies and products developed by NDRI scientists, research scholars, entrepreneurs, start-ups and leading dairy companies. Goat milk cheese and other goat milk-based products were particularly well received by local visitors.

A free milk testing facility was also offered to the public, allowing households to assess milk quality, purity and adulteration. The service drew strong participation from residents, he said.

To promote awareness among schoolchildren, the institute organised quiz, sketching and painting competitions on milk, nutrition and dairy science. A large number of students took part, with winners receiving awards.