Aravind Yashavant Patil, a farmer from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, won this year’s National Gopal Ratna Awards (NGRA), constituted by the Union Animal Husbandry Ministry, for best dairy farmer rearing indigenous cattle/buffalo breeds. Meenangadi Ksheerolpadaka Sahakarana Sangham Ltd, Wayanad, Kerala, won the award for best in the category of Dairy Cooperative society/ Milk Producer company/ Dairy Farmer producer organisation.
For North Eastern and Himalayan regions, Vijay Lata, from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh is the best farmer and Kulha Duud Udpadhak Sahkari Samiti, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand is the best cooperative society.
The awards will be presented on November 26, as part of the National Milk Day celebrations.
The Centre received 2,081 applications from farmers and cooperatives for this year’s NGRA.
Kankanala Krishna Reddy, Hyderabad won the second prize for best farmers and Harshit Jhuria, Sikar, Rajasthan and Shraddha Satyawan Dhavan, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra shared the third prize.
Pradeep Pangariya, Champawat, Uttarakhand won the second prize for the best farmer from North Eastern or Himalayan region.
The second prize for best cooperatives was shared by Kunnamkattupathy Ksheerolpadaka Sahakarana Samgham, Palakkad, Kerala and Ghinoi Dugdh Utpadak Sahkari Samiti, Jaipur, Rajasthan. The third prize went to Sendurai Milk Producers Cooperative Society Ltd, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu. Kulha Duud Udpadhak Sahkari Samiti, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand is the second best cooperative in North Eastern or Himalayan region.
Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) awards were won by Dillip Kumar Pradhan, Anugul, Odisha, Vikas Kumar, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, Anuradha Chakali, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh and Deluwar Hasan, Barpeta, Assam.
The awardees will get a certificate of merit and a memento and cash price of ₹5,00,000, ₹3,00,000 and ₹2,00,000 for the first, second and third categories respectively. The awardees from Himalayan or North Eastern regions will get ₹2,00,000. There is no cash prize for the Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) Category.
Published – November 17, 2025 10:41 pm IST
