The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Monday announced the winners of the National Gopal Ratna Awards (NGRA) 2025, one of the highest national honours in India’s livestock and dairy sector. The awards will be presented on November 26 as part of the National Milk Day celebrations.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), will confer the awards. Ministers of State S. P. Singh Baghel and George Kurian will also attend the ceremony. The ministry received 2,081 applications this year, from which the awardees were selected.
Winners Across Categories
Best Dairy Farmer (Indigenous Cattle/Buffalo Breeds)
Non-North Eastern Region (NER):
* 1st: Aravind Yashavant Patil, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
* 2nd: Dr. Kankanala Krishna Reddy, Hyderabad, Telangana
* 3rd: Harshit Jhuria, Sikar, Rajasthan
* 3rd: Kumari Shraddha Satyawan Dhavan, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
NER/Himalayan Region:
* Vijay Lata, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh
* Pradeep Pangariya, Champawat, Uttarakhand
Best Dairy Cooperative Society/Milk Producer Company/Dairy FPO
Non-NER:
* 1st: Meenan Gadi Ksheerolpadaka Sahakarana Sangham Ltd, Wayanad, Kerala
* 2nd: Kunnamkattupathy Ksheerolpadaka Sahakarana Samgham, Palakkad, Kerala
* 2nd: Ghinoi Dugdh Utpadak Sahkari Samiti, Jaipur, Rajasthan
* 3rd: TYSPL 37 Sendurai Milk Producers Cooperative Society Ltd, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu
NER/Himalayan Region:
* Kulha Duud Udpadhak Sahkari Samiti, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand
Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT)
Non-NER:
* 1st: Dillip Kumar Pradhan, Anugul, Odisha
* 2nd: Vikas Kumar, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan
* 3rd: Anuradha Chakali, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh
NER/Himalayan Region:
* Deluwar Hasan, Barpeta, Assam
For the Best Dairy Farmer and Best Dairy Cooperative/FPO/MPC categories, the NGRA 2025 includes a certificate, memento and cash prizes: ₹5 lakh for first place; ₹3 lakh for second place; ₹2 lakh for third place; and ₹2 lakh special award for NER/Himalayan states.
In the Best AIT category, winners will receive a certificate and memento, with no cash prize.
Instituted under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission – launched in 2014 to promote scientific conservation of indigenous bovine breeds – the National Gopal Ratna Awards have been presented annually since 2021. The awards aim to recognise excellence among dairy farmers, cooperatives and artificial insemination technicians contributing to India’s dairy sector.