Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Clears Realignment of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Schemes

For leveraging investment of Rs 54,618 crore, the government decided on Wednesday to restructure and realign different components of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying schemes and special livestock package. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in which a decision was made in this regard. 

According to an official announcement, "This package envisions the central government's support equal to Rs 9,800 crore over the course of five years for leveraging a total investment of Rs 54,618 crore for five years." 

The schemes have been reorganized and altered in order to encourage growth in the livestock sector and make animal husbandry more profitable for the 10 crore farmers involved in the industry, according to the statement. 

According to the change, the department's schemes would be grouped into three major groups. 

The Development Programmes will be the first category, with sub-schemes such as the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), National Livestock Mission (NLM), and Livestock Census and Integrated Sample Survey (LC & ISS). 

Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH & DC) program is the second category, which encompasses both the current LH & DC scheme and the National Animal Disease Control Program (NADCP). 

The Infrastructure Development Fund is the third category, which combines the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) and the Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF). This third group includes the existing scheme to support dairy cooperatives and farmer producer organizations involved in dairy activities. 

The government stated that the Rashtriya Gokul Mission will help in the development and conservation of indigenous breeds, as well as improving the economic situation of the rural poor, as a result of the revisions in the schemes. 

The NPDD scheme aims to install around 8,900 bulk milk coolers, benefiting over eight lakh milk farmers, and procuring an additional 20 lakh litres of milk every day. 

Financial aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would be used under the NPDD to reinforce and create new infrastructure in 4,500 villages, according to the announcement.