Role of a Woman Leader in Cooperative Dairy Movement: Story of NDDB – Woman Empowering Women

1. Role of a Woman Leader in Cooperative Dairy Movement: Story of NDDB – Woman Empowering Women Dr. Vrajlal Sapovadia (Reader) Dr. Sarla Achuthan (Director) B.K. School of Business Management Gujarat University Ahmedabad, India

2. Women in India • Census • Number of female vis-à-vis male • Social status • Economical status • Strengths • Weakness

3. Activity Percent share by woman • Ploughing 30% • Planting 50% • Livestock 50% • Harvesting 60% • Weeding 70% • Processing and storing crops 85% • Domestic work 95%

4. NDDB • National Dairy Development Board • Evolution of idea • Replicating AMUL pattern • India – a Agro & Rural economy • Male dominance • Dairy, Cattle & women – strong relation • Constitutional & Social obligations • Directive principle

5. NDDB – Catalyst of cooperative movement • Cooperative & ICA principles • Democratic institute • Meaning of democracy widened • NDDB strategy – enhancing women participation • NDDB Women empowerment programme

6. Institutional Building • Systematic & value based • Strengthening capacities of primary members of Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS) • Management Committee Members • Staff members • Focus on viable, salient & truly member owned as well as member controlled • Improving physical & financial performance

7. Women empowerment programme • Why is gender integration in cooperatives important and what are the benefits of promoting women's participation in cooperatives? • What can be done to integrate women in cooperative development and to enhance their participation in decision-making processes?

8. Cooperative Development Programme • Designed to strengthen role of members in the control & governance • Creating awareness – rights & responsibilities • Women education – village dairy cooperatives in 87 milk unions • Breeding, feeding, husbandry & better health care of animals • Increased membership from 800,000 to 1400,000

9. Objectives of CDP • Increase membership of women in DCS • Increase awareness about modern dairying techniques • Train women in managing accounts of milk sales • Encourage women to collect milk payments • Involve women in governance of DCS • Encourage formation of local women’s group

10. Women’s dairy Project (WDP) • Encourage active participation of women • Bring economic & social equality • Enable poor women to be active • Provide income generating activities • Generate leadership among poor women • Encourage women to take responsibility • Enable women to participate in other village level organisation • Train women in calf rearing, fodder, women & child health etc

11. Activities under WDP • Provide subsidised cattle feed, artificial insemination services, first aid • Provide loans for purchase cattle • Provide adult literacy training and pre school for girls • Creating awareness of personal hygiene • Support the initiation of income generating activities – supplying sewing machine, detergent making equipment etc.

12. Women’s dairy leadership programme (WDCLP) • Training & positioning local women as change agent • Lady Resource Persons (LRPs) • LRPs – responsible to organise awareness programme • Cattle health • Women health • Child care

13. WDCLP • Literacy programme • Leadership training • Self Help Groups (SHGs) • 12 states • 65 milk unions • 10971 SHGs • 168290 members • Savings of INR 240.88 million

14. Women Thrift Cooperatives • Women Self Help Group – a great success • Promoting viable thrift & credit cooperatives for women • Madhya Pardesh & Andhra Pradesh • 133 WTCs • 9097 members • Savings INR 10.41 million • NDDB – perspective 2010 • 25% women members

15. Success stories • Mukanoor Women’s Cooperative Dairy • All women dairy union • 16000 women members • 100 women dairy cooperatives • 22000 liter/day milk procured • Members are members of WTC

16. Ichhamati Milk Union etc. • 601 SHGs • Milk & marketing outlets with Mother Dairy Brand • Various milk products • Sarabjit Kaur of Rapar Milk Union – 10 milch animals, earning INR 1200 per day • WDCs drives out social evils – Gopalpur – awakening people against evil of liquor

17. Women Participation & Enhancing Measures • Mansinh Institute of Training, Mehsana, Gujarat state • Customised programme in material management, utility management & electric equipment • Regional Demonstration & Training Centre, Jalandhar, Punjab • Capacity building programme for women

18. Enhancing Women Involvement in Dairy Cooperatives • EWIC • Male sensitise programme • Forming women SHGs • Women’s education • Exposure to successful dairy cooperatives • 6184 DSC belonging to 61 milk unions participated in EWIC

19. Growth in women cooperatives • 0.62 million women members in 1986-87 • 2.47 million women members in 2001-02 • Committee members • Encourage to have at least three women committee members • Training programme for women committee members • ORG research & its inference

20. Benefits • Women • Dairy • Society • Economical • Social • Institutional • Cooperative values & cooperatives