THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government today requested the Centre to nominate late Verghese Kurien, the father of the white revolution, for Bharat Ratna.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said conferring the top civilian honour on the late Kurien would also be a recognition to millions of dairy farmers in the country.
Kurien, who brought India to the forefront of the world in terms of milk production and helped millions of dairy farmers to find a decent living, really deserves the country's top honour, the chief minister said in the letter.
It was through the visionary initiatives of Kurien that the country had attained self-sufficiency in milk production and even excelled the United States' achievements in the sector, he said.
The contribution of Kurien, a recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Magsaysay awards, in tapping the immense potential of the cooperative sector was remarkable, Vijayan noted in the letter.