Nanda Kumar bids farewell to dairy board

T Nanda Kumar has bid farewell to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and its associate organisations following differences with the union government.

Kumar, a 1972 batch IAS officer, had quit as the chairman of the NDDB on June 29. Last week, the government accepted his resignation with effect from August 1.

Shankar Chaudhary, the Chairman of Banas Dairy, and B M Vyas, the former Managing Director of AMUL, are considered front-runners for the coveted post.

In an email to his NDDB colleagues, Kumar hinted at differences with the Centre and the Agriculture Ministry in particular. “There comes a time in everyone’s life when one’s value system comes into serious conflict with the external environment. A point of no compromise becomes a point of no return. I have gone through such situations many times before. The dilemma is: should one allow such conflicts to affect an institution?” he said.

Kumar was the first retired IAS officer appointed as the chairman of the NDDB, a post held for 49 years by Verghese Kurien (1965-1998) and later by Amrita Patel (1998-2014), both of whom have played a key role in making the country self-sufficient in milk and milk products. “I have always believed that institutions are important, personalities should not matter beyond a point. I have reached such a point,” he said. In the interim, the government has entrusted the additional charge of the post of chairman of NDDB to the senior-most whole-time director of the Board.