I just received this post from ChangeIndia founder R K Misra. Looks like a great initiative. I always wondered why Amul is not getting replicated across India. Looks like someone is taking the initiative! What do you think? Leave comments.
“A DREAM TAKES SHAPE !
R K Misra returns to his roots with his ‘Agri PLUS’ project to ransform the lives in his village of Sonari with a plan to spread it across ‘Rural India’.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Sonari (UP): In the midst of bright yellow mustard fields, Sonari is he sort of anonymous, sleepy village in central UP where a boy alling off a tree can become a talking point. But on Sunday, as cars with flashing red lights poured in, everyone seemed to know this could be a turning point in the hamlet’s story.
They were right. Sonari, the ancestral village of Lead India winner R K Misra, became the launch pad of a cooperative dairy that could improve thousands of lives. The project is being funded by the Rs 50 lakh that Misra received for winning Lead India along with his contribution of land and funds.
Last February, asked during the Lead India finals to outline a dream project, the Bangalore-based Misra spoke of his desire to improve the quality of life in his impoverished village. His plan to set up a dairy cooperative was initially derided by the judges as ‘thinking small’, but he won them over by pointing out that focused spending of the prize money would significantly improve lives.
Since then, the 43-year-old used the experience of setting up companies like Tenet Holdings and traveljini to plan the project. Even while attending a leadership course at Harvard University, part of the prize for winning Lead India — a nationwide talent hunt by TOI to give India better political leaders — the thought dominated his mindscape.
“The course had 58 top politicians and bureaucrats from 34 countries like the Serbian sports minister and Nigeria’s Speaker. I was the only one who was neither politician nor bureaucrat. The experience was extremely enriching because it gave me a great bird’s eye view of developmental challenges around the globe,” he says.
Now, Misra is back, and bustling with enthusiasm about his scheme, named Agriculture Plus. According to him, the average rural income is about Rs 1,500-1,800 per month whereas an unskilled migrant labourer in the city can earn around Rs 3,000. “But he just gets a harder life and loses his dignity,” he says.
The initiative seeks to increase the income of unskilled rural villagers, alongside their agricultural occupation. This, he believes, will not only ensure a better life but also arrest migration.
The scheme’s inspiration goes back to a similar project in northern China in the 1950s and 60s. The dairy cattle will be owned individually but managed collectively. The cross-breed cows will be kept in a state-of-the-art farm with the best feed management, immunisation and health practices. At least 30 villagers have already signed up.
Misra, who has helped execute major road projects across Bangalore, wants the project to be replicable and become a shining model of public private partnership. “I want the scheme to have private sector efficiencies and spirit of enterprise. But the real test will be its scalability. However, I am confident it can be achieved with PPP,” he says. The Rs 50 lakh prize will be spent on fixed asset infrastructure and livestock, and for working expenses as well.
Misra has already linked with UP’s Saghan Mini Dairy Project, active in 40 districts. Mohan Swaroop, the project’s GM, says he’s willing to provide technical assistance like installing a bulk milk chilling plant, worth Rs 13 lakh, that can store 2,000 litres. “We want Sonari to become a centre of excellence for dairy development,” he says.
The project will start off with 40 cows, expected to double by end-2009. “We hope to grow further every two years,” says Misra, who earlier worked on a project that helped carpet weavers in Rajasthan’s Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts double their income. He adds, “The dairy will employ another 10-15 people who will each earn Rs
2,500 per month.”
M K Narayan, Sitapur’s district magistrate, said that a cluster of nine villages around Sonari could become part of an integrated development plan.
Sonari’s villagers, primarily Brahmins and Dalits, are enthusiastic. Of the 300-odd families here, most are marginal farmers or farm labourers. “Our village didn’t even have a pucca approach road. But the dairy project could herald the beginning of change,” said villager Ram Kumar Tiwary. Fellow villager Siyaram, a Dalit who has also queued
up to join the cooperative, said, “Several other Dalits too want to join.”
The mood is infectious. During the foundation ceremony, attended by around 500-odd villagers, many from nearby villages also strayed in. Some wanted their village to host a similar project. Telling them it will happen soon was little consolation. Chhote Lal of nearby Jagannathpur said, “I want to join today.”
Clearly, R K Misra’s dream has many takers. “