Dr Meenesh Shah received the Visionary Leadership Award 2025

Dr Meenesh Shah, chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), was presented with the Visionary Leadership Award 2025 on 9 July 2025 in New Delhi. The ceremony took place during the 16th Agriculture Leadership Conclave, organised by the Agriculture Today Group.

Shri Piyush Goyal, India’s minister of commerce and industry, and Shri Nayab Singh Saini, chief minister of Haryana, conferred the award. The event was also attended by Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, deputy chief minister of Odisha; Shri Dharmpal Singh, Uttar Pradesh’s minister for animal husbandry and dairy development; and Justice P Sathasivam, a former chief justice of India.

The announcement, dated 10 July 2025, described the honour as recognition of Dr Shah’s leadership and contributions to the dairy and allied sectors. It referred to his work on technology-driven and farmer-focused solutions, and linked his stated contribution to rural livelihoods and India’s agricultural economy.

The award citation also referred to Dr Shah’s involvement in agricultural development and rural prosperity. NDDB is the organisation he chairs, and the statement said that the recognition covered his contributions to society as well as to the dairy sector.

In remarks after receiving the award, Dr Shah thanked the awards committee and Justice Sathasivam, who chaired it. He said the honour gave him a stronger sense of responsibility to continue working for the prosperity and wellbeing of farmers.

Dr Shah dedicated the award to farmers, dairy cooperatives, and his colleagues at NDDB and its subsidiaries. He said that the recognition belonged to those groups as well as to him.