India has achieved a breakthrough in milk production with the cloning of its first desi Gir cow. The National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) has successfully cloned a female calf of the Gir breed, which can produce more than 15 litres of milk per day.

 The calf, named Ganga, was born under a project aimed at cloning indigenous cow breeds such as Gir and Sahiwal. The cloning technique is being used to increase milk yield in compliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directions. 

NDRI Chief Dr. Dheer Aibgh noted that Gir cattle are popular for their hardiness, stress tolerance, and resistance to tropical diseases. They have been exported to several countries, including the United States and Brazil, for the development of zebu cows. The programme was started by the NDRI in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board.

The cloned calf, Ganga, weighs 32 kg and is growing well. The Gir breed is one of several indigenous cattle breeds, such as Sahiwal, Tharparkar, and Red-Sindhi, that play a vital role in milk production and the growth of the Indian dairy industry. 

The project team of scientists has been working for over two years to develop an indigenous method for producing cloned cattle. According to a report in The Economic Times, oocytes are isolated from live animals using ultrasound-guided needles and then matured under control conditions for 24 hours. The somatic cells of elite cows are used as donor genomes, which are fused with OPU-derived enucleated oocytes. Following chemical activation and in-vitro culture, the developed blastocysts are transferred into recipient mothers to deliver the Gir calf.

The NDRI and its collaborators are planning to clone more high-yield cows of indigenous breeds to support the government's goal of increasing milk production. With this breakthrough in cloning technology, India is poised to take a giant leap in milk production and secure its position as a major player in the global dairy industry.