Amrita Patel | |
|---|---|
 Patel in 2016 | |
| Born | (1943-11-13)13 November 1943 (age 82) New Delhi, British India |
| Occupation | Businessperson |
| Father | Hirubhai M. Patel |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2001) |
Amrita Patel (born 1943) is an Indian businessperson associated with the cooperative dairy sector as well as an environmentalist. She headed theNational Dairy Development Board from 1998 to 2014 which led the world's biggest dairy development programOperation Flood. She chaired several other institutes and has been a member of board of banks. She was awarded thePadma Bhushan in 2001.
Amrita Patel was born on 13 November 1943 at 1,Safdarjung Road,New Delhi. She was the youngest among five daughters of civil servant and politicianHirubhai M. Patel and Savitaben, a Gujarati family. When her father retired, her family moved back toAnand inGujarat in 1959. She received her higher education fromMumbai and completed her study in Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry. In 1965, she joinedAmul, a dairy cooperative, and was trained underVerghese Kurien.[1][2][3]
After four decades of work in Amul, she served as the chairperson of theNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in from 1998 to 2014. As the managing director of NDDB, she ledOperation Flood, the world's biggest dairy development program.[4]
She also became a chairperson ofMother Dairy, Delhi; the President of Indian National Committee of the International Dairy Federation and later a member of Planning Commission ofGovernment of Himachal Pradesh.[1] She has been a member of the Boards of theReserve Bank of India and theNational Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).[4]
She advocates the protection of environment and ecology. She was the chairperson of theFoundation for Ecological Security working in the field of ecology.[2][5] She is the Chairman of theSardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute,Anand, as well as Charutar Arogya Mandal.[4]
She was awarded various awards for her contribution in development and management of dairy sector including the Financial Express Lifetime Achievement Award, Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award for Nation Building (1999–2000),World Dairy Expo's International Person of the Year (1997), Indian Dairy Association Fellowship, Krishimitra Award, Foundation National Award from Fuel Injection Engineering Company, Sahkarita Bandhu Award,Borlaug Award (1991), Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar (2005),[1][4] Mahindra Samriddhi Krishi Shiromani Samman (Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016).[6]
TheGovernment of India awarded her thePadma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award of India, in 2001.[1][4]
