The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was founded in 1965 to replace exploitation with empowerment, tradition with modernity, stagnation with growth, transforming dairying into an instrument for the development of India's rural people. NDDB began its operations with the mission of making dairying a vehicle to a better future for millions of grassroots milk producers. The mission achieved thrust and direction with the launching of "Operation Flood", a programme extending over 26 years and which used World Bank loan to finance India's emergence as the world's largest milk producing nation. Operation Flood's third phase was completed in 1996 and has to its credit a number of significant achievements. Since its inception, the Dairy Board has planned and spearheaded India's dairy programmes by placing dairy development in the hands of milk producers and the professionals they employ to manage their cooperatives. In addition, NDDB also promotes other commodity-based cooperatives, allied industries and veterinary biologicals on an intensive and nation-wide basis. The National Dairy Development Board has been constituted as a body corporate and declared an institution of national importance by an Act of India's Parliament. The National Dairy Development Board -- initially registered as a society under the Societies Act 1860 -- was merged with the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation, a company formed and registered under the Companies Act 1956, by an Act of India's Parliament - the NDDB Act 1987 (37 of 1987), with effect from 12 October, 1987. The new body corporate was declared an institution of national importance by the Act. The general superintendence, direction, control and management of NDDB's affairs and business vests with the Board of Directors.