To increase the volume of milk being produced in the State, Animal Husbandry Minister Rekha Arya asked the officers concerned on Thursday to meet those in-charge of sugar and sugarcane in the presence of the Chief Secretary to fix the quota of molasses for compact feed block.
She stressed on branding the cow milk being produced in the hills and also the urine of the bovines to help the milk producers get more money. Besides, she asked them to set up cow shelter (gau sadan) in each district by way of protecting cow and its progeny. She mentioned that the 14th finance commission has given Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of cow shelters. This fund must be utilized, she stressed while adding that they must make estimate if more shelters are required to be set up for the stray animals.
She also asked them to send a proposal for the execution of Badri gai preservation project to the Union animal husbandry and agriculture ministry with the Union minister Radha Mohan Singh having exuded interest in it.
She instructed the officers to establish an animal husbandry training centre at Bhaiswada farm in Almora, fodder banking in all the 13 districts and laboratory for Bari gai (cow) aside from sowing such fodder seeds which consume less water.
Regarding the matter of establishing a training centre in Bhasiwada farm, she instructed the secretary, animal husbandry to firm up a plan. She asked them to start toll free number for the veterinary ambulance to enable the people to seek medical help for their pets or other animals on the spot. The mobile veterinary hospital would be set up first in Almora, she declared while instructing the secretary, finance to allocate budget for it.
To ensure availability of fodder for the cattle, she asked them to set up 13 more fodder banks. Currently, 108 fodders banks are functional in the state.
“Under this project, sampling must be done of the cow milk being produced in the hills to have organic milk marked. Besides, branding must be done of cow urine and cow dung meant to be used as fuel. As National Bureau of Animal Genetic resource (NBAGR) has already certified our cow the branding of Badri cow would help improve the economic condition of our rural people and subsequently will help arrest the trend of migration. As animal husbandry is being done by our women, if we can ensure good price of their milk and other milk-related products their living standard would go up. Besides, by using cow dung for producing biogas, we can cope up with fuel crunch,” she said.
She instructed them to constitute a corporation so that the sheep and goat rearing villagers get better price of their animals.
She also instructed them to involve the destitute women in poultry units. “As per the district plan, 26450 units will be set up in this year. last year, the number was 16000,” she said. She also asked the secretary to appoint 74 veterinary doctors, which have been selected by public service commission, at the earliest.
The meeting was attended among others by secretary animal husbandry R Meenakshi Sundaram, director animal husbandry DR SS Bist, chief executive officer Uttarakhand livestock development board, Dehradun Dr Kamal Singh and CEO sheep and wool development board.