India, 1959 - The Anand cooperative milk scheme has succeeded is raising the supply of milk from the area from 6,000,000 lbs to 60,000,000 lbs per year in only 8 years and, at the same time, the annual bonus paid to the cooperative societies has increased from Re. 24,865 to 325,000. The scheme was initiated with the formation of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union in 1946, and has progressed until today it comprises 138 affiliated village milk producers' societies with a total membership of 40,000 farmers, and milk processing plants supported by financial and technical assistance from the Government, Unicef, the Colombo Plan, and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Although it was started strictly as a milk production project, the prosperity the scheme has brought to the area has encouraged donations for scholarship awards, for the building of schools, hospitals and libraries, and, besides playing a notable part in India's fight against malnutrition, it has become an important factor in community development. Under the Unicef scheme, milk is distributed free to 16,000 children under six years of age in 48 villages in the Keira District. Young-stars are forming a queue in the courtyard of a milk distribution centre.