BHUBANESWAR, 14 Sep: Arunachal Pradesh Animal Husbandry & Dairy Development Minister Gabriel D Wangsu urged the Centre to facilitate and assist in establishing at least one veterinary college in Arunachal Pradesh, and to “include mithun and yak scheme” in entrepreneurship development programmes of the National Livestock Mission.
Wangsu was speaking during the Monsoon Meet, which was chaired by union Animal Husbandry & Dairying Minister Dr Rajeev Ranjan Singh, here in Odisha on Friday. The objective of the Monsoon Meet was to draw out expectations of the states and to create a convergence framework for effective programme implementation at the ground level.
Wangsu also sought release of funds under the Establishment & Strengthening Veterinary Hospitals & Dispensaries-
Mobile Veterinary Unit (ESVHD-MVU) for procurement of 100 more MVUs and funds for recurring expenditure of the same.
Responding to various issues raised by Wangsu, the union minister assured to resolve the issues and problems related to the animal husbandry sector in Arunachal.
The union minister also reiterated his earlier promise to visit Arunachal soon and discuss all the concerns and resolve the issues for the development of animal resources in the state.
“Arunachal Pradesh needs more manpower for the upcoming 21st livestock census, and hence the need for additional 100 numbers of enumerators and 50 numbers of supervisors,” Wangsu said, and sought the Centre’s intervention in facilitating immediate rollout of the high-yielding genetically modified fodder grass (tri-specific hybrid) developed by the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi.
“This new species of grass has high potential of revolutionising fodder development, and every Indian farmer would be immensely benefited, and hence Prime Minister Narendra Modi may like to roll out this new species, which would be a great game changer in the animal husbandry sector,” Wangsu said during the session, which saw participation of animal husbandry ministers from 15 other states.
The minister also requested for dovetailing of the animal husbandry sector with some of the centrally-sponsored schemes, like the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Enterprise, the Prime Minister Employment Guarantee Programme, etc.
Pointing out that the piggery sector in the Northeastern states has suffered severely due to the spread of African swine flu, the minister sought a separate scheme for piggery development to strengthen the state’s piggery farms and allowing theNE states to import high genetic merit pigs to upgrade the existing resources.
Among other things, the minister also sought a scheme “for strengthening small ruminant state-run farms and for strengthening of existing veterinary institutions.”
The union minister appealed to the state governments to focus on milk productivity with the help of cooperative societies; ensure timely diagnosis of diseases; and use IVF & semen technology.
Assuring to assist the states through various centrally-sponsored schemes, the union minister urged the state governments to implement all the schemes to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Vikshit Bharat.
The Arunachal delegation included Secretary Hage Tari, Director Dr Danjan Longri, Joint Director Dr Karbom Basar, Deputy Director Dr N Taipodia, and SVO Dr Seva Yomdo.
