BHUBANESWAR: The Fisheries and Animal Resource Development department has been asked to prepare an action plan for convergence of State Livestock Mission (SLM) activities with similar activities of other schemes for sustainable intervention and to avoid duplication of resources.
Chairing a meeting of the State executive committee of the livestock mission here, Chief Secretary G C Pati asked the department to link the mission activities with the flagship rural employment scheme MGNREGA, Odisha Community Tank Management Programme (OCTMP), Odisha Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Project (OTELP), and Society for Management of Information Learning and Extension (SMILE).
As the basic objective of the mission is to ensure quantitative and qualitative improvement in livestock production systems and capacity building of all stakeholders for their sustainable livelihood, Pati advised the department to involve local NGOs, goshalas and activists working in the field of livestock development and conservation.
The biggest impediment to growth of dairy and livestock productivity is the large-scale prevalence of animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a contagious disease affecting goats and sheep, Brucellosis and avian influenza which adversely affect the productivity.
Since effective control of a number of animal diseases requires strategic intervention, the Chief Secretary asked the department to strengthen the existing livestock health infrastructure and focus on vaccination of the domestic and farm animals.
Pati further advised the department of Fisheries and Animal Resource Development to work out area specific micronutrient feed applicable for different regions of the State and launch an intensive campaign to popularise it among the farmers.
The department has been directed to devise the techniques for preparing good quality feed from agricultural residues like straw, organic left out of the moong (green gram) and biri (black gram) plants in cooperation with the Odisha University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
The Mission, launched last year, has taken up the activities like enhancement of productivity, modernisation and development of breeding infrastructure, insurance coverage of domestic animals, fodder seed production and IEC (information, education and communication) support.
Livestock Mission has proposed a budget of Rs 46.32 crore for the current financial year which involves Central share of Rs 40.76 crore and State share of Rs 5.55 crore. The budgetary provision under the mission during the last fiscal was Rs 32.22 crore of which Rs 6 crore has remained unspent. The department was asked to utilise the fund by July and submit utilisation certificate to the Government.