Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 17 May said that Gujarat's dairy cooperative network was transferring nearly ₹200 crore every day directly into the bank accounts of women livestock rearers, calling the sector 'one of the largest drivers of women's economic empowerment in rural India.' Shah made the remarks at the inauguration of Madhur Dairy's new milk processing plant at Dashela in Gandhinagar district.

Scale of Women's Participation

Shah said approximately 36 lakh women in Gujarat are connected with milk production and cooperative dairy activities. 'Thirty-six lakh women in Gujarat produce nearly three crore litres of milk every day and almost ₹200 crore is deposited daily into their accounts,' he said during his address. The minister described this as a structural transformation of the economic position of women in rural households.

How the Cooperative Model Empowers Women

Shah emphasised that the cooperative structure ensures profits flow directly to the women doing the work. 'Because of the cooperative sector, this profit directly reaches the bank account of the woman who milks the cows and buffaloes,' he said. Payments are made on a weekly cycle — 'salaries are deposited every seventh day' — which Shah said he had personally witnessed generating 'an atmosphere of happiness' in village homes near Mansa, his birthplace.

Recalling the social change he observed before and after dairy cooperatives became active in villages, Shah said: 'There was a time when women worked hard but did not have financial independence. Today, because of the dairy sector, women have become the heads of their households.'

Technology Push: AI Assistant 'Sarlaben'

Shah also highlighted the role of technology in modernising the dairy sector, drawing attention to the recently launched AI digital assistant 'Sarlaben' — introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an AI summit. The platform is designed to support women engaged in agriculture and livestock rearing, particularly in rural areas. 'It has been designed in such a simple way that even women in small villages can use it easily,' Shah noted.

Who Attended the Event

The inauguration was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, along with cooperative sector representatives, dairy officials, and farmers. The gathering underscored the political weight the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) places on the cooperative dairy model as a vehicle for rural welfare and women's financial inclusion.

Broader Significance

Gujarat's dairy cooperative ecosystem — anchored by the Amul model pioneered decades ago — has long been cited as a replicable template for rural income generation. The daily ₹200 crore transfer figure, if sustained, would amount to over ₹72,000 crore annually flowing to women in the livestock sector, a scale Shah said would 'widen the eyes' of any large industrialist. This comes amid a broader national push to deepen women's financial inclusion through direct benefit transfers and cooperative structures.