The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)among the cattle in the state has been brought under control, Animal Husbandry Minister T B Jayachandra said on Tuesday.
After visiting the Congress office, he told reporters that 6,292 cattle had died while 41,399 had contracted the disease.
According to him, his department is working on the payment of compensation to those who lost their cattle to FMD. “The grants will be released in a couple of days,” he said. The government has announced a compensation of `25,000 per cattle that died due to the disease.
Jayachandra said though the disease was under control, the vaccination drive would continue. He said the government has appealed to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to release about `28 crore to compensate farmers and enable them to buy cows.
Jaychandra said a private institution in Maharashtra has developed a new sheep breed through artificial insemination. The breed is disease resistant and high meat yielding. “The state government would import the breed and provide it to the farmers. The department also plans to insemination for the indigenous sheep and goat breed in Karnataka,” the minister said.
He also described B S Yeddyurappa’s dharna demanding the extension of Bidai scheme a political gimmick. “When the programme was announced by the Chief Minister on the floor of the Assembly, nobody opposed it,” he said.